


Diddy's Kong-Quest

by Lady_Zephyrine



Series: Donkey Kong [4]
Category: Donkey Kong (Video Games), Donkey Kong Country
Genre: Cranky continues to be a butt, Dixie tries to be a good friend, Family Feels, Friends to Lovers, Gen, I'll add warnings as the fic goes on, Novelization, There is definately suffering in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-08-01 08:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16280987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Zephyrine/pseuds/Lady_Zephyrine
Summary: Things had finally calmed down since the Banana Hoard incident...Or so the Kongs thought. With DK now in K. Rool's possession, Diddy has no other choice but to go to Crocodile Isle and rescue him. His best friend, Dixie, has also tagged along for the adventure. But even with someone by his side, Diddy can't help but worry about the dangers that await him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know that DKC2 has been novelized to death at this point, but I really wanted to rewrite this one like I did with DKC. Especially since the game this story is based off of is my favorite game of all time (shocking, I know). And hey, this is basically a project at this point.
> 
> Anyway, just like with Donkey Kong Country, there will be references to future games in the DK series, as well as references to my other fics (though you aren't required to read those ones). And of course...there will be plenty of references to pirates in this.
> 
> Here's my old version of the fic, though I've changed the beginning here to reflect that of the manual: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10184184/1/DKC2-Diddy-s-Kong-Quest

Donkey Kong Island was an island that was full of life. In this island, there lived all kinds of animals and plants, as well as the Tikis. However, the animals that stood out the most were the Kongs, a tribe of primates who protect the island from all kinds of dangers...As nice as the island was, it was far from being the safest. Several months ago, a group of crocodiles who called themselves the Kremlings had taken off with with the Banana Hoard, which was the Kongs' food supply. Donkey Kong III, who was accompanied by his nephew Diddy, had to do what they could to get all of the bananas back. Along the way, they encountered giant beavers, killer orangutans, snowstorms, and the Kremling King, himself. But against all odds, the Kongs were able to get their Banana Hoard back and defeat the Kremlings once and for all. Since then, most of Kongs had gone back to their old routines. DK was treated like the king and the hero he usual was. As for Diddy, the only thing that had changed was that he finally had a friend, a young ape named Dixie.

It was a warm, sunny day on the island. DK was sitting back in his beach chair while drinking a banana smoothie. He was perfectly content. There were no Kremlings, there was no training, and there was no word from his grandfather...Everything was perfect, until DK felt something hitting him on the head.

"ACK!" DK yelled while turning towards the culprit. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"

Standing in front of DK was his grandfather, he wore a brown vest and had a long white beard. He also held a cane in his hand, which he used to hit DK with.

"Gee, I dunno," said the old ape, Cranky Kong. "Maybe it has to do with training your useless nephew?"

"We're takin' a break," DK said while sitting back down.

"Right, and why would someone like YOU need a break?" Cranky asked bitterly. "Back in my day, we didn't even need breaks. We just worked our butts off until sunset!"

"Well? Maybe we need a break right now?"

"But what if those nasty lizards come back!?" Cranky asked while taking away DK's sunglasses. "You know just as much as I do that they could come over at any moment to attack us."

"And I'll fight back as soon as they come over here."

Cranky shook his head. "At this point I'm starting to think Diddy could do a better job then you...speaking of which, where is he?"

"He's probably hangin' around with Dixie or somethin'."

"Oh, whatever!" Cranky yelled. "You wanna get attacked by Kremlings, be my guest!"

With that, Cranky began to make his way back to the village. DK looked around, nobody else seemed to be around today. Diddy was already hanging around with Dixie, Wrinkly was hanging around with Funky while he was fixing his plane, and Candy? She was already working for Swanky, so it would be a little while before they saw each other again.

The big ape yawned, he sat up from his beach chair and stretched, he figured that it wouldn't hurt to check up on his nephew for the time being. After all, he couldn't have been too far off.

 

* * *

 

Not that far from the beach sat Funky's hut. At the hut, a Kong named Funky was trying to adjust the wings on his airplane. At his porch sat an elderly Kong, she was sitting next to a radio while drinking her tea. As usual, the radio was playing some techno music.

"You know...we've never had music like this back when I was your age."

"Yeah...but I could change it to somethin' else if you want."

"Oh no, dearie," said the old ape. "I don't think it's as bad as Cranky makes it out to be...In fact, I'd play it at full volume just to spite him."

Suddenly, two younger Kongs raced out of the bushes. The Kong in red leapt onto the porch and onto the elderly Kong's back.

"Oh dear!" said the old Kong. "Are we play fighting again, Diddy?"

"Get offa Wrinkly and fight me, you coward!" teased Dixie, the Kong in pink.

"Never!" Diddy yelled before jumping onto the porch's railing. Dixie tackled him to the floor, causing the "fight" to continue. Wrinkly looked at them with concern. "Don't be too rough now, dearies."

The fight continued for a few more moments. Eventually, Dixie managed to pin Diddy onto his back. While he was dazed, Dixie stood up and placed a foot on his chest. "I win!"

"Ugh..." Diddy sat up and glared at her, "You only won 'cause I got tired!"

Once that whole "fight" was over, DK started heading over to Funky's hut. He had a groggy look on his face.

"Yo, DK!" Funky shouted. "You enjoyin' your day off?"

"Yep," DK said with a yawn. "I just came over to see how you guys were doin'."

Diddy scrambled to sit up, he raced over to DK as quickly as possible. "Hey, DK! Did you see any Kremlings out there?"

"Nothin' out there yet," DK replied. "Why do you ask?"

"'Cause I heard Cranky walkin' by earlier," Diddy replied. "He said somethin' about the Kremlings coming back at any moment."

"Well, it's not like I haven't taken 'em down before," DK replied. "Thankfully, we haven't heard a word from them since the Banana Hoard incident."

"Yeah...thank goodness," Diddy said with a sigh. After the last adventure, neither DK nor Cranky would let him guard the Banana Hoard. He was certain it was because he lacked the physical strength the other Kongs had, but he figured it was better this way. On the plus side, he got to hang around with Dixie as much as he wanted...even if she did play rough every now and again.

Before the duo could continue speaking, Wrinkly cleared her throat. "Now, I know you've been enjoying your day, but even then you shouldn't get so arrogant. The last thing we need here is to lose our bananas again...or any of the Kongs, for that matter."

DK shrugged. "Hey, if it makes you guys feel any better, I'll be stayin' at the beach for the rest of the day."

"And what about me?" Diddy asked. "Do you need me to do anything?"

DK shook his head. "Today's supposed to be your day off too, Little Buddy. Enjoy it while you can."

"All right, then."

"Hey, Diddy!" Dixie said excitedly. "How about we go back to your place and play some video games?"

Diddy nodded before looking up at DK. "You don't mind, do ya DK?"

"Nope."

With that, the younger Kongs were on their way over to DK's treehouse. DK looked down at Wrinkly, who gave him a concerned look.

"I really hope you know what you're doing out there, dearie."

"I'll be fine," DK replied. "I'll just be at the beach if you need me."

As soon as DK left, Funky stood back from his plane. "There, now this thing should be able to fly a little faster."

Wrinkly couldn't help but smile. "I must say, even though you hate adventures, you always seem to take good care of your planes."

Funky shrugged. "Well, driving a plane is a little bit like surfing the skies...if that makes any sense."

"If you say so, dear," Wrinkly said with a shrug. At least with an upgraded plane, Funky wouldn't have to worry about the engine failing on him. Surely, this could be a great benefit to the Kongs.

 

* * *

 

It was late at night, and DK was still at the beach. He recalled that he had dozed off after meeting with everyone, and given how late it was, Diddy was probably worried sick at this point. Before DK could move, however, he noticed a large boat sitting against the shore...along with a lone barrel. He was curious, he quietly walked over to the barrel until a Kremling's head popped out. The ape couldn't help but chuckle, all while ignoring the footsteps coming out of the bushes and walking behind him.

"Is this supposed to be a joke? Are you tryin' to scare me right now?"

The Kremling in front of DK began to smile, which confused the big ape. "...What's with that face?"

Before DK had time to react, a much larger Kremling knocked him on the head with his club. DK could see stars for a moment before he passed out. The Kremling stood over the ape, he was twice the size of Donkey Kong.

"Well, that was easier than I expected, said another Kremling as he came out of the water. It was the Kremling King, K. Rool. He wore a red pirate's coat, as well as a matching pirate hat.

"So wha' do ye reckon we should do?" asked the larger Kremling. "'cause I'd suggest throwin' 'im into th' ocean."

"Nonsense, Klubba!" K. Rool replied. "We'll want to keep him alive if we're ever going to get even with those Kongs."

"But wasn't thar a wee one?" Klubba asked. "'cause I recall ye sayin' somethin' about a prince."

"We'll worry about him at a different time," K. Rool said. "For now, just worry about getting DK onto the boat."

K. Rool smiled as as he lifted the big ape over his shoulder. Finally, DK wasn't going to be the big hero this time around. And with DK out of the way, there was nothing those Kongs could do. And given how weak Diddy was, he would have no choice but to surrender the whole island to the Kremlings. Clearly, this plan was perfect.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are with our second chapter...once again, this is chapter is primarily based off the manual with a few tweaks here and there.

It was another warm day on the island, and Diddy had just woken up from his tire. He looked over at DK's hammock, the big ape didn't appear to be around today. His guess was that he might've fallen asleep at the beach...Especially given how lazy DK was at times.

Diddy stretched, he began to dress himself before heading out. He would always wear the same red hat and the same red shirt before taking off. Although admittedly, his shirts were starting to get smaller on him. Nonetheless, he made his way outside and started walking through the village. While he didn't like to bother DK while he was relaxing, he knew Cranky would go crazy if he saw him lying around. But surprisingly, as soon as Diddy made it over to the beach, DK was nowhere to be found. He could see footprints heading into the water, but they weren't primate footprints. Perhaps DK found some Kremlings last night and scared him off? But if that were the case, then he would've been back to the treehouse last night.

...Well, since he was at the beach, he may as well ask if Dixie had seen anything. He ran along the shore until he reached a lone shack with sand piles in front of it, he had to assume that one of Dixie's cousins was trying to build sand castles again. Dixie came out of the shack and started shaking out her fur. She looked as if she had just woken up, Diddy walked over to the ape with a concerned look on his face. "Hey, Dixie?"

"Oh!" Dixie faced Diddy with a surprised look on her face. "Hiya, Diddy. I wasn't expecting to find you here so early."

"Y-yeah," Diddy started to blush as he rubbed the back of his head. "Anyway, I was gonna ask if you've seen DK anywhere."

"You mean he's not back at the treehouse?"

Diddy shook his head. "I thought he would've been out here still."

"Well, maybe he's hanging around with Funky?"

"I don't think so," Diddy replied. "Because Funky would've been awake by now if that were the case."

Dixie went silent, she thought for a moment until an idea popped into her head. "Well...besides Funky, maybe he's talking to Cranky?"

Diddy sighed, he wasn't exactly on good terms with Cranky. But besides Funky, he didn't have any other options. And besides, if Cranky hasn't seen anything, then maybe Wrinkly has?

"All right, I'll go ask Cranky if he's seen anything," Diddy replied. "I'll talk to you later, OK?"

"OK," Dixie said. "I'll see ya later."

While Dixie grabbed a nearby fishing rod and headed towards the ocean, Diddy began to head back to the village. Surely, DK had to be around there somewhere. For all he knew, the big guy was probably bragging about beating up those Kremlings.

 

* * *

 

It was almost noon, Diddy had made his way over to Cranky's Cabin. He knocked on the door, and as expected, his great-grandfather opened it and gave him a bitter look. "Well, now...I wasn't expecting DK to send YOU over today."

"Actually, DK wasn't the one who sent me," Diddy replied. "I thought that he was out here with you guys."

"Ugh..." Cranky placed a hand over his face. "Don't tell me he's still sleeping at the beach!"

Diddy shook his head. "I checked earlier, he's not there."

Cranky huffed stubbornly, he grabbed his cane before he started heading out. "I'm gonna go find him myself, you stay put until I come back!"

Diddy rolled his eyes. Since he wasn't going anywhere, he decided to enter the cabin. There, he saw Wrinkly sitting on the couch. She was knitting what looked like a red shirt with yellow stars on it.

"It that you, Diddy?" Wrinkly asked upon seeing one of her favorite relatives. "Come on in!"

"OK," Diddy said as he sat on the couch next to her. "You haven't seen DK around, have you?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," Wrinkly said. "Have you checked the beach?"

Diddy nodded. "Yeah...but he's not there, either," The monkey sighed as he put his head in his hands. "I know it's not that weird for DK to take off on his own, but this time it just feels...off."

"Oh, I'm sure DK will turn up, eventually," Wrinkly said. "Besides, he couldn't have gotten too far."

"Yeah...I suppose you're right." Diddy replied. For all he knew, he could just be overreacting. He looked at Wrinkly with a curious gaze, "What are you making by the way?"

Wrinkly smiled. "Well...since you're getting too big for your clothes, I figured that it would be time to make you some new ones."

"...Am I seriously that big?" Diddy asked, unsure whether to take it as a compliment or not.

"Well...yes," Wrinkly said bluntly. "But it's not the way you're thinking of."

"Then what is it?"

"It's uh..." Wrinkly thought about her words carefully, she wanted to make sure she wasn't hurting his feelings in any way. "It's...been about five months since you turned 9, and already you've grown up so much since then."

"...You really think so?" Diddy asked, excitedly.

"I know so," Wrinkly said as she finished her knitting. "Not only have you changed since your adventure with DK, but you've also grown more social since Dixie moved here. From the looks of it, you'll become a great king in no time."

Finally, Wrinkly handed the shirt over to Diddy. The young monkey looked it over before putting it on. The shirt was a little big, but he didn't mind at all. In fact, he thought the stars on his shirt suited him.

"So...how long do you think it'll take for Cranky to come back?" Diddy asked.

"It shouldn't take too long," Wrinkly replied. "For all I know, he's probably found DK by now."

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Cranky was searching through beach. DK's chair was still here, but that was all that he could find. At this point, he was tempted to check the treehouse to see if DK was there. While Cranky searched, a green parrot landed onto his head.

"What are you up to, Cranky?" asked the parrot, Squawks. Cranky grumbled as he scratched his head, "I'm trying to look for DK. Apparently, nobody's seen him since yesterday."

"Well that's unfortunate," Squawks replied. "But, um...have you noticed the footprints heading towards the ocean?"

"What about 'em?"

"Well, don't you find that a little fishy?"

Cranky frowned, he began to stroke his beard. "Now that you mention it..."

"Ahoy there!"

Squawks rapidly flapped his wings as another parrot flew down and landed on the beach chair. It was a fat parrot with brown feathers. If one didn't know any better, they would say he resembled a vulture. He had a letter tucked under his claws.

"What do you want!?" Cranky yelled. "Can't you see we're busy here?"

"Oh, I'm sure you're VERY busy," the parrot replied. "In fact, I'd imagine you're too busy looking for your grandson."

"I've got no time for-" Cranky stopped himself, he looked down at the parrot. "What did you just say?"

"I thought that might catch your attention," The parrot replied, smirking. "I COULD tell you where he is, but King K. Rool...or rather, Kaptain K. Rool wouldn't want me meddling with you flea bags."

Cranky growled in frustration as he grabbed the bird's neck. "Listen here, you pathetic turkey! You'd better tell me where DK is or I'll feed you to the Tikis!"

"Well aren't YOU impatient?" the parrot said while lifting one of his claws. "Here's your letter, it should tell you where he is!"

Cranky took the letter as he let the parrot fly off, he began to read through it.

 

\---

 

**To those flea-bitten primates.**

**I have kidnapped that lumbering fool DK, and unless you surrender your island to me, you will never see him again!**

**And if you refuse to cooperate, then we'll have no choice to execute him. Not only that, we'll come over and execute that pipsqueak as well!**

**So what will it be, Kongs? Your island? Or your ruler? Either way, I'll be waiting.**

**\- Kaptain Keith Rool.**

 

\--

Cranky felt his heart sink, he couldn't believe what he was reading. Just yesterday, he told DK about the Kremlings. He made it look as if he didn't care if his grandson got attacked by Kremlings, and now those same Kremlings are holding him hostage.

"W-what have I done?"

"Hey, are you OK?"

Cranky looked up at the parrot on his head, he spoke in a quiet, yet worried tone. "Squawks, I need you to gather every Kong you can find and bring them here."

Squawks tilted his head. He could tell the situation was serious, but he knew it was best not to question it for now. He flew off of Cranky's head and started flying towards Dixie's shack. While Squawks was gone, Cranky sat down on the beach chair. He hadn't felt these types of feelings since he lost his son and granddaughter. And with DK and Diddy's lives at stake, he just didn't know what to do.

 

* * *

 

Within an hour, the beach was full of Kongs. Dixie's family sat up front, along with Funky, Diddy, and Wrinkly. Many of the other Kongs sat along the beach, most of them were asking each other what was going on. Finally, Cranky sat up from his spot and hit his cane against the chair. He gained everyone's attention.

"Listen up, everyone!" Cranky said, "There's something important I need to tell you all."

"S-so were you able to find DK?" Diddy asked. Cranky gave him a stern yet concerned look, causing the monkey to back away.

"Now then," Cranky continued. "From what Diddy has told me, he hasn't seen DK since yesterday. He's checked the beach, but there was no sign of him. That's where I came in. I looked around the beach myself, and...well...To put a long story short, K. Rool's parrot handed me this letter, which means that DK's been taken hostage on Crocodile Isle. So unless we give up our island, K. Rool will kill him for sure!"

Diddy turned pale as the Kongs behind him started to talk. Many of them looked hopeless, it was as if they had no choice but to comply to K. Rool's wishes. And of course, he couldn't exactly blame them. Still, he couldn't help but ask.

"Why can't we all go rescue him?"

"Because K. Rool would kill you too if we headed over there!" Cranky replied. Diddy scowled, his tail moved like an angry cat's tail. "So if you're not gonna go rescue him, then I'll do it myself!"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" Cranky yelled, "DO YOU WANT TO END UP LIKE YOUR PARENTS!?"

Diddy replied with a shrug. "If those Kremlings are gonna kill me anyway, then the least I can do is try."

"You don't understand, dude!" Funky said in an unusually stern voice. "Crocodile Isle is NOTHING like our island, everything could kill you if you're not careful...and I mean EVERYTHING!"

"And I'd hate to imagine what K. Rool would do to you over there," Wrinkly added. "He makes even the toughest Kremlings look harmless."

Diddy began to look discouraged. He wanted to save DK, he really did. But from the looks of it, saving him would be impossible.

"Wait, isn't Diddy supposed to be the king right now?" asked Dixie as she stepped in. Cranky glared at the young ape in front of him. "And what would an outsider like YOU know what a king is?"

"Well...if anything were to happen to DK, then that would make Diddy the king of this island...right?"

Cranky grumbled as he looked away from Dixie. "I know he's supposed to be the king...But even then, I'm not going to let him endanger himself out there...Especially not all by himself!"

"But what if he's not," Dixie asked, smiling mischievously. Most of the Kongs stared at her like she was crazy, Diddy walked over to her with a frightened look on his face. "Don't tell me that you're plannin' on coming with me!"

"Why? Are you scared?" Dixie teased, causing Diddy to blush. "N-no, but-"

"Then don't argue! If you're going out there, I'm coming with you!"

Diddy went silent as the other Kongs began to speak. Most of them sounded concerned over whether or not it would be a good idea to send Diddy over to Crocodile Isle. In fact, many of them sounded just as hopeless as they did beforehand. But if these Kongs wanted to continue to live on the island, then they had no other choice.

"Fine then!" Cranky said, bitterly. "Wrinkly and I will meet you on Crocodile Isle island first-thing tomorrow. So if there's anything that you need to do for whatever reason, do it now!"

"Don't worry, Cranky...I won't let you down!" Diddy said proudly.

He wasn't sure why, but he was more excited to go on this adventure then he was scared. If anything, he saw it as a way to prove to the other Kongs how strong he could be. And with Dixie around to help, he was going to save DK no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...So a couple of things I should mention.
> 
> 1\. I know that Diddy's sprite didn't change much after DKC. But even then, I figured I'd mention how he got the shirt in the first place.
> 
> 2\. Some time after K. Rool got confirmed for Smash, I believe Gregg Mayles (one of the Rare employees) mentioned how the "K" doesn't really stand for anything. I went with Keith here...But for all I know, the "K" could just stand for Potassium. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh, this took me a lot longer then I thought it did. But hey, at least I got this chapter done.

While the Kongs rested, the Kremlings remained as busy as ever. K. Rool's castle rested at the very top of Crocodile Isle, where DK was being held. The big ape sat inside a grey jail cell, his hands were chained to the wall. The only light here were the ones coming from the torches lining the halls. There was a small window in DK's cell, but there was hardly any light coming through there. And as for the food...all the Kremlings ate around here were rats and fish, no fruit whatsoever.

DK stood up as he heard someone walk in. He attempted to get close to the bars, but he was held back by the chains on his wrists. Standing in front of him was Kaptain K. Rool. His parrot, Screech, stood proudly on his shoulder.

"What's the matter, DK?" K. Rool teased, "Are you sad that you'll never see those Kongs again?"

DK growled as he tried to reach K. Rool, but once again, the chains prevented him from doing so. At this point, all he could do was scowl. "Why are you doing this?"

"Gee, I don't know," K. Rool replied. "Perhaps it's because you apes HUMILIATED ME LAST TIME!?"

"Well? You were the one goin' after us in the first place!"

"Oh, whatever!" K. Rool said, rolling his eyes. "What's important is that those Kongs should be handing over their island soon."

"And why is that?"

"Because," K. Rool replied. "If those Kongs don't cooperate, then not only am I going to execute you, I'll be turning that pipsqueak of yours into a fur rug."

DK roared as he, once again, tried to reach K. Rool. "Do whatever you want with me, but if you lay a SINGLE CLAW on Diddy, then I'll-"

"You'll do what?" K. Rool teased. "Because last I checked, I'm not the one sitting behind the cage...But don't feel bad, I'll be sure that when you die, you both die together."

K. Rool cackled like a madman as he left the cell, leaving DK all alone once again. He took Screech off his shoulder and held him in his claws. "I need you to keep an eye on the other Kongs, do you think you could do that for me?"

"Sure," Screech replied. "Any reason why?"

"Because I need to know whether they'll actually give up that island or not," K. Rool replied. "Since that pipsqueak should be the one in charge, I especially need you to keep an eye out on him."

"Yes, sir!" Screech said as he flew off of K. Rool's claws and headed out of the window. While K. Rool was certain that he would take control of Donkey Kong Island, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. After all, the worst that could happen would be Diddy breaking DK out of his cell...But K. Rool was confident that it could never happen.

 

* * *

 

It was finally dawn. As soon as Diddy was ready, he grabbed a nearby backpack and headed out of the treehouse. While he enjoyed being able to leave the jungle and join DK on his adventure last time, this time he felt as if it would be the last time he ever actually saw his home. And as he moved on through the village, it was completely empty. Even Cranky wasn't outside complaining about whatever was on his mind. Though to be fair, he was probably on Crocodile Isle already.

Really, as excited as he was to rescue DK, he wasn't sure if he could actually do it. Last time, all they had to worry about was getting their Banana Hoard back. But even then, the worst Diddy had to put up with was getting kidnapped by the Orangutan Gang AND the Kremlings. Surely, getting through that island wasn't going to be easy.

Diddy finally made it to the beach, he sat down on DK's beach chair while waiting for Funky and Dixie to show up. In the meantime, he started digging through his fur for dirt and bugs. Eventually, he spotted Dixie running over to him. She looked as if she were in a hurry, as she was still tying her hair back. Her shirt was already tied up, which was something she usually did so she could move more freely. Yet for some reason, she still wore the knee pads.

"I didn't miss anything, did I?"

"Nope," Diddy replied. "I just got here not that long ago."

"Oh thank goodness," Dixie said as she sat down next to Diddy. "For a second there, I thought Funky left without us."

"I think he left earlier with Cranky and Wrinkly, he should be coming back soon."

Dixie nodded in understanding, she started to kick her feet back and forth under the chair. "So, are you excited?"

"...Kind of?" Diddy said, uncertain. "I dunno if I should be excited or scared."

"So would that mean you're...Kong-flicted?" Dixie asked with the widest grin she could manage.

"Oh, knock it off!" Diddy said while playfully shoving her, yet he couldn't hide the smile on his face. Dixie chuckled as she shoved him back. "I know it looks scary, but I'll bet the island won't even seem that big once we're gone through it."

"And how would you know?"

"Because Dad used to tell me the same thing whenever we went exploring," Dixie replied. "Besides, you've been on this island your whole life, haven't you?"

"...Yeah?"

"Well, does it seem that big to you?"

"...Not really."

"Exactly!" Dixie said excitedly. "Once we get through Crocodile Isle, then it won't even seem that big to you!"

Diddy nodded, as he started to feel a little better about this new adventure. Soon enough, they spotted Funky's plane in the distance. Diddy looked at Dixie with a determined look. "Are ya ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Dixie said proudly. Soon, the plane landed in front of the Kongs. Funky stepped outside for a moment and stretched. "Man, does four hours of flight really hurt your back!"

"You all right?" Diddy asked. Funky nodded in response, "I just needed to stretch for a moment...so are we ready to go?"

"Yep," Diddy replied while lifting his backpack," I've got everything I need here!"

"And what about you, Dixie-dude?" Funky asked. "Did you say your good-byes to your family?"

Dixie nodded. "Tiny said she'd keep an eye on my pets while I'm gone."

"All right, dude!" Funky said while leaning against the plane. "If you guys are ready to leave the island, then hop on in."

Both Kongs nodded as they climbed into Funky's plane. Once Funky hopped in, he started the plane. They started heading over to Crocodile Isle, but for some reason, Diddy couldn't help but look back. He watched as Donkey Kong Island grew smaller and smaller, he was leaving his home once again. But no matter how much he wanted to go back, he had to focus on DK for the time being. Surely, rescuing DK shouldn't be a problem for him.

 

* * *

 

Diddy and Dixie had been on the plane for a while, now. For the most part, there hadn't been too much going on. Dixie was mostly looking down at the smaller islands while Diddy looked up at Crocodile Isle. To someone who's lived on Donkey Kong island, Crocodile Isle looked absolutely huge. And yet, Diddy had no idea HOW huge the island actually was. From where he was, he could see the wrecked ships sitting on the beaches and swamps on the bottom. Towards the middle he could see what looked like a bunch of blinking lights, as well as a forest made from dead trees. At the very top, he could see what looked like K. Rool's castle. He had to assume that DK was there.

In one of the broken-down ships sat a large vulture-like creature called a Necky. He was sitting inside a crow's nest with several bad eggs beside him. When he noticed the plane coming toward's the island, he stretched his wings and began to fly towards the plane. The Kongs panicked as Funky tried to avoid the bird. However, not only did the Necky knock one of the wings off the plane, it also managed to knock Diddy and Dixie off the plane.

"DUDES!" Funky yelled as the plane continued to barrel towards the island. Diddy screamed while Dixie grabbed onto his wrist. She used her ponytail like a propeller, hoping that it would help break their fall. Sure enough, the Kongs were able to decend slowly into the water. While the two of them were still alive, they were still several miles away from the island.

"Now what?" Diddy asked with uncertainty. Dixie tried to think, she knew there had to be a faster way over there. She could probably use her ponytail to propell herself over to the island, but then she'd probably end up holding Diddy underwater through the whole thing. Plus, it would take hours to reach the island. Perhaps they could use a fish to help them get to the island?

As if on cue, a blue swordfish peaked its head from out of the water, it had a curious look on its face.

"E-excuse me," Diddy said, gaining the fish's attention. "Do you think you could bring us over to that island over there?"

The fish looked over at Crocodile Isle for a brief moment before turning its head and nodding. It allowed both Kongs to climb onto its back before it sped through the water. At this rate, they'll reach Crocodile Isle in no time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...So, it looks like our protagonists are off to a good start already.
> 
> Also...RIP Funky... ~~not really~~


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I apologize for not updating last week, I got swept up along with the Smash Bros hype. Dixie didn't make it in, but I ended up with a newcomer I didn't know I wanted (Incineroar). Plus, Spirits is a thing...So I could still have Dixie helping the Smashers in some way.
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter.

After what seemed like forever, the fish finally made it over to the island. However, since the beach was surrounded by pointed rocks and wrecked ships,the Kongs had no choice but to get through one of the ships. The fish took them through the bottom of what looked like K. Rool's galleon...or rather, what's left of it. For Diddy, it felt strange seeing the ship in this condition. He remembered the Kremlings dropping him down here so he wouldn't escape, yet he also remembered K. Rool's snake coming down and helping him. He remembered how neatly the boxes around him were stacked, but now they were covered in barnacles and algae. There were stingrays and puffer fish swimming in the water, there were seastars sticking to the walls. The ship was in no condition for sailing, but it at least provided a home for some of the fish here.

A little further ahead, and the Kongs could spot several piranha-like fish called Lockjaws swimming in the water. They were rare to find on Donkey Kong Island. In fact, most Kongs would be lucky to find one Lockjaw, let alone several. The Lockjaws noticed the Kongs and began swimming towards them. Diddy nearly screamed as the sword fish began to speed up. One of the lockjaws managed to grab Dixie's hair, to which she responded by pulling in out and tossing it aside. Finally, the swordfish made it over to a collapsed ceiling. The Kongs climbed into the cluttered room above them as the fish charged after the Lockjaws. Terrified, the Lockjaws began to swim away. Diddy watched as the swordfish swam off. He couldn't help but wonder where he was headed, but at the same time, it's probably best not to worry about it.

"Where are we?" Dixie asked while looking around.

"I think this is s'posed to be the Captain's Cabin," Diddy replied. "I'll bet K. Rool had a lot of stuff hidden away here, too."

"Yeah, well...maybe he has a map of the island," Dixie said while digging through the bookshelves. Diddy nodded as he looked through K. Rool's desk. One of them contained a pen and a bunch of notes, most of which referred to the Banana Hoard Incident. The other drawer, however, contained a rattlesnake. Diddy screamed as he jumped back from the drawer. Dixie was about to ask what was wrong, but then she noticed the snake peaking his head out of the drawer.

"Oh, hello," said the snake as he crawled out of the drawer. "It'sss been a while, hasssn't it?"

Diddy tilted his head. Come to think of it, the snake DID look familiar to him. It had a green body with red stripes. However, there didn't seem to be a rattle like Diddy remembered.

"Are...Are you the snake that helped me escape?"

"Oh, ssso you do remember?" The snake said happily. "Ssso what bringsss you here? Did you come back to kick K. Rool'sss butt?"

"Uh...kind of," Diddy replied, though he still looked puzzled. "I...couldn've sworn you had a rattle."

"I did," said the snake. "But onccce K. Rool found out that I helped you essscape, he decccided to cut off my rattle and leave me here with the ratsss."

"That's horrible!" Dixie yelled in response. "Why would he do such a thing!?"

"Becaussse it'sss K. Rool," the snake replied. "If you go againssst him in any way, then he'll do whatever it takesss to make you sssuffer. Losssing my rattle isssn't all bad, though," the snake began to smile, "This way, I could eat as many ratsss as I want without being detected."

Diddy couldn't help but feel sorry for the snake, especially after losing his rattle like that. He knelt down to the snake's level and extended his arm. "I know I can't get your rattle back, but maybe there's a way for us to help you out?"

"And why would you want to help me?" the snake asked. "After all, I was one of the Kremlings."

"Because you were the one who freed me last time we met," Diddy replied. "So why not return the favor?"

"...Very well, then," the snake said while crawling onto Diddy's arm and into his backpack. "But I mussst warn you, there isss a Necky outssside named Krow. He'sss the reassson why I can't escape this ship and head back to the island. And not only will he come after me, he'll try to come after you guysss too. "

"So what do you want us to do?" Diddy asked.

"Well, you could either sssneak passst him or fight him yourssself," said the snake. "Either way, I need you two to help me get back to the island."

Diddy nodded before turning his attention towards Dixie, "What do you think we should do?"

"I say we try to get past him," Dixie said. "Besides...he had no problem with tearing up Funky's plane, imagine what he'll do to us?"

"Good point," Diddy replied. "We'll have to try and lay low until we're outta here."

Both Kongs made their way to the door, they peaked outside of the cabin and looked up at the crow's nest where Krow sat. Krow was scanning the area, he appeared to be looking out for trespassers as well as prey. Along ship's deck were barrels, which were scattered all over the place. Rats and beetles hid inside the barrel, hoping that Krow would not be able to find them. Along the ship's masts sat some smaller Neckies. Although they didn't appear to pose a threat, they could still attack the Kongs if they wanted to. Diddy grabbed a nearby crate and held it over his head. Dixie moved closer to him to keep herself hidden as well.

As the Kongs tried to sneak by, Screech landed on one of the masts beside the Neckies. He tilted his head as he watched the one of the crates move. He knew he saw a plane crash earlier, and yet he was certain that no Kong would be foolish enough to come to the island. Still, he couldn't help but look around to see if anything suspicious had popped up.

"So...what brings you here?" asked one of the Neckies. "Did K. Rool ask you to spy on us or somethin'?"

"No, not you," Screech said while shaking his head. "He's asked me to spy on the Kongs."

"So then why aren't you spying on the Kongs?" asked another Necky.

"Well, doesn't that crate down there look awfully suspicious?" Screech asked while pointing to the crate the Kongs were hiding under. Another Necky tilted his head, "Are you sure that's not a rat?"

"Look closer," Screech said pointing to the crate, "Don't you see that blonde hair dragging behind it?"

"Fine, I'm gonna go take a look at it!" the Necky said bitterly as he flew off of the mast. He quietly soared onto the crate, causing both Kongs to pause. When the Necky looked below the crate, he could see the terrified expression on Diddy's face.

"KONGS!" yelled the Necky, "THERE ARE KONGS ON THE SHIP!"

Diddy was completely frozen, he wasn't sure if he should throw the crate at the Neckies or dive off the ship. But either way, it was too late. As the Neckies continued to freak out, Krow began to notice. He flew out of his nest and headed towards the Kongs. He managed to grab Diddy, but the snake inside his back pack lept out of it.

"What do we do now?" Dixie asked the snake.

"I know thisss might sssound foolisssh," the snake replied as it coiled itself like a spring. "But if you want to sssave your friend, then I'd sssuggest holding on!"

Dixie nodded as she grabbed onto the snake's head. He began to make his way up towards the masts, knocking out as many Neckies as he could in the process.

"Is that you, Rattly?" asked Screech , who was still sitting on one of the masts. "I couldn't recognize you without your rattle."

"You be quiet!" Rattly demanded as he hopped off of Screech's head and continued towards Krow's nest. "I've got a child to sssave!"

Screech was furious. At first, he was tempted to go after the duo. However, perhaps it was best to warn K. Rool about his unwelcomed guests. After all, regardless of whether they survive or not, Screech was sure that something interesting was going to come out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Diddy got taken by the first boss...And given what happens to Krow, this next chapter's going to be a fun one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus, we have our first boss. While I might not have the Kongs fight every single one of them, I will say this...None of them are going to be that friendly towards them.

Diddy was panicking, he tried to squeeze himself free from Krow's claws. But now no matter how he did it, he wasn't able to free himself. Krow eventually threw him into the nest like a dead rat.

"So...who said that a filthy Kong like ye was allowed on me ship?" asked Krow as he placed one of his claws over Diddy's chest. "Answer me, lad!"

Diddy was stunned. He wanted to speak, but he just...couldn't. If anything, all he could do was lay there and babble. Krow hissed as he pressed his claw down further. "Speak up, I wants an answer!"

"I-I'm just here to rescue someone!" Diddy yelled, startling Krow. The Necky gave him a confused look, he started to rub his head with his wing. "How strange...I've ne'er heard o' a Kong endangerin' hisself t' rescue someone afore, especially nah on an island like this."

"...So you'll let me go?"

"An' starve t' death?" Krow asked as he picked Diddy up by the shirt. "But 'tis been such a long time since I've gotten t' eat anythin'. Ye wouldna let me starve, would ye?"

"W-well, you can't eat me!"

"Well that's too bad!"

Krow was about to eat Diddy when an egg flew into him. The Necky extended his neck to see who the culprit was, only to get pelted by another egg. He dropped Diddy and looked over to where his eggs were sitting, he was greeted by the sight of Dixie holding onto one of the eggs. Rattly was coiled around her waist like a belt.

"You let him go RIGHT now!" Dixie yelled as she threw another egg at Krow's face.

"So 'tis a fight ye wants, huh?" Krow hissed. "Then I'll give ye somethin' t' fight about!"

Krow flapped his wings as he took off from his nest, he soared upwards until it looked like he was blocking off the sun. Afterwards, he began to fly towards the nest, as fast as he could. Dixie grabbed Diddy and pulled him out of the way before Krow could attack either of them.

"Are you OK?" Dixie asked as she helped him stand up. Diddy nodded, though his knees were still shaking. He could see Krow turning around with his claws open, he was going to grab one of the Kongs. Diddy pushed Dixie as hard as he could before he was grabbed by Krow once again. Dixie watched in horror as Krow smashed Diddy against the the mast.

"Did ye really think 'twould be that easy t' defeat me?" Krow hissed. "A yellow-bellied cur has no right t' be on this ship, let alone o' Crocodile Isle. But if ye think about it, scuttlin' ye off right now would be a blessin'. At least then, ye wouldna 'ave t' face K. Rool's wrath!"

Diddy struggled to breath as Krow squeezed the air out of him. At this point, he was ready to black out. Meanwhile, Dixie tried to grab one of the largest eggs she could carry. She quickly brought the egg over to the edge of the nest, dropping it on top of Krow. The Necky looked upwards as he dropped Diddy, assuming he had died already. He began to fly towards the sun, once again. Dixie jumped off the nest and grabbed onto Diddy's shirt, she hovered before either of them could hit the ground. Once they landed, she put her head against his chest. He was still breathing, but he was unconscious.

Once again, Krow managed to block out the sun. He started diving towards the ship, barreling faster and faster towards Dixie.

"I think now might be a good time to get off the ship," Rattly informed Dixie as she held Diddy onto her back. She headed towards the bow and jumped off before Krow could hit either of them. She was standing on the beach, watching as the galleon in front of her fell apart. While she knew the adventure wasn't going to be easy, she wasn't expecting something like this to happen. Heck, Diddy would probably think the same way.

Dixie jumped as she heard something bark at her. She turned her head to see what it was, only to relax as she saw Cranky riding on top of a rhino. She ran towards him with a troubled look on her face. "Cranky, you'll never believe what just happened!"

"What? You mean the bird diving into his own ship?" Cranky asked, "Or the bird trying to kill my great-grandson?"

"Uh..." Dixie couldn't say anything, she couldn't help but feel like she was in big trouble. Cranky finally sighed, he took Diddy off of Dixie's back before she could ride on top of the rhino.

"Look...I know you're doing everything you can to help him," Cranky said as the rhino began walking along the shore, "But I don't know if it's going to be enough."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know I don't like to go easy on you kids...but those Kremlings...they're FAR worse then I could ever be. I can't imagine what kind of stuff DK's going through, and I don't want Diddy to share the same fate."

Dixie blinked, she'd never heard Cranky sound so worried before. Then again, she was aware that he'd lost some of his family to K. Rool, so she could understand why. A few moments later, Diddy began to wake up. He looked confused at first, but he was just thankful to be alive.

"About time you woke up!" Cranky said bitterly. "If you'd been out any longer, I would've thought you died!"

Diddy looked over at Dixie, whose only response was to shrug. If it's one good thing they could say about the fight with Krow, it was that they were glad it was over.

 

* * *

 

Back at the castle, K. Rool was sitting on his throne. There, he was balancing a plate onto his snout. He wondered how long he could keep it there.

"K. ROOL!" yelled Screech as he flew into the throne room, causing K. Rool to drop his plate. He scowled at the parrot as shards of glass flew everywhere, "You'd better have a good reason to come back here!"

"Believe me, it's MORE then good," Screech replied. "Do you remember Rattly?"

"You mean that traitor we let behind?" K. Rool asked, "What about him?"

"Well...he's decided to team up with that pipsqueak and his girlfriend."

"The pipsqueak?" K. Rool repeated, making sure he had heard Screech correctly. "You mean to tell me that DK's little brat made it onto the island?"

"Yep."

"And he managed to make it past KROW of all things."

"Yes, sir!" Screech replied. "Although...Krow might've killed himself while trying to take down the Kongs."

"How unfortunate," K. Rool said as he began to think. "But...what should we do now that the pipsqueak's made it to the island?"

"Why don't we just kill DK?" Screech asked. "Isn't that the reason why that rat came here in the first place?"

"...Actually, I have a better idea!" K. Rool said as he got out of his throne, "Come with me!"

Screech nodded, he followed K. Rool until they reached the dungeon. Standing in front of the entrance were two burly Kremlings, one of them was blue while the other one was pink.

"Is everything all right, Your Majesty?"

"Everything is fine," K. Rool replied. "I just need to bring our prisoner upstairs."

"But...why?" asked one of the Kremlings.

"Because a certain little pipsqueak is on his way to take him back," K. Rool said clasping his hands together. "And I'm sure they'd love to see each other one more time before they perish!"

"So you're just going to kill them both at the same time?"

"Of course not," K. Rool replied. "I'll be the one taking care of DK. And as for that brat...I'll make sure he suffers a fate FAR worse then death!"

Both Kremlings nodded in understanding, though they couldn't help but feel sorry for the Kongs. Nonetheless, they lead K. Rool through the dungeon until they reached the very end. There, DK was sitting against the wall. The fur around his wrists was starting to fall out thanks to the chains.

"So I've heard that a certain someone is coming over to get you," K. Rool said, though DK ignored him.

"What's the matter, Kong? I thought you would've been excited about seeing your nephew again."

DK snorted like a bull. As much he wanted to beat up K. Rool, and as much as he would love to see Diddy again, there was nothing he could do. K. Rool rolled his eyes as he opened the cell. "Oh well, I suppose the least we can do is take you upstairs!"

Once K. Rool opened the cell, he allowed the two Kremlings to grab DK's arms and take him upstairs. K. Rool began to follow them, he grabbed a rope from inside his pocket.

"Now Screech? There is something else I need you to do."

"What is it?"

"I need you to tell as many Kremlings as you can about those brats," K. Rool replied. "Let them all know that I want them both here alive!"

"Yes, sir!" Screech said as he started to fly off. K. Rool smiled to himself as he followed the Kremlings upstairs. While DK was going to be much more useful as bait, he was certain that Diddy would be much more useful as a sacrifice to the island. After all, if Diddy were dead, then Donkey Kong Island would have nobody to rule it. And the chances of Diddy getting off the island were so small, there would be nothing left of him by the time he met DK. K. Rool chuckled to himself, he felt as if he had already won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't count your chickens before they hatch, K. Rool.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, we're finally on Crocodile Isle.
> 
> I was originally going to put this up on November 20th (which was the release day for DKC2 in North America). But uh...My birthday is also November 20th, so things got kind of busy (the funny thing is I'm the same age as this game, too XD).
> 
> Anyways, onto the next chapter!

The Kongs had finally gotten to what looked like a cabin. There, Wrinkly was sitting down next to Funky. The older Kong had a worried expression on her face, though Funky was doing whatever he could to calm her down. The rhino barked, which gained the attention of the duo.

"Oh thank heavens you two are alive!" Wrinkly said in relief. "After Funky told me what happened, I was worried that you could've gotten killed!"

"Well, we've been better," Diddy said as he hopped off the rhino's back. Once Dixie and Cranky jumped off, the rhino started to lay back down.

"So how exactly were you able to get Rambi over here?" Diddy asked curiously. Funky crossed his arms and smiled proudly, "I have my ways..."

"All right, but with Funky's plane destroyed, we have no way of getting back home!" Cranky said bitterly. "So I sincerely hope you two take this rescue mission seriously!"

"We will, Cranky!" Diddy said while rolling his eyes. Suddenly, Dixie remembered something. "Would anyone happen to have a map of this island?"

"Oh!" Wrinkly said in surprise, she headed towards the nearest bookshelf. "I think I might have seen one somewhere around here."

As Wrinkly searched for a map, Funky began to speak. "While we're here, you might wanna look around for Swanky. "

"Why?" asked Dixie.

"Well...besides us, he and Candy are the only other Kongs on this island," Funky replied while rubbing the back of his head. "I know he ain't the nicest, but I'm sure he could give you a break if you need it."

Diddy nodded in understanding. Although Swanky wasn't the first Kong Diddy would think of when he needed help, he figured that it wouldn't hurt to pay him a visit. And if Swanky wouldn't help, then maybe Candy could do something to help out.

Soon, Wrinkly managed to pull out a book from the shelf. She placed it onto the table and gestured for the other Kongs to gather around it.

"Now all of us are in this spot," Wrinkly said as she placed a dot on the beach. "If you were to keep going from here, then you'll end up going through Crocodile Cauldron. Then eventually, you'll run into a fork in the road. If you go left, you'll end up inside the Kremlings' Lost World. But if you go right, you'll end up in Krem Quay."

"Krem Quay is full of Kremlings, by the way," Cranky added. "So unless you two plan on meeting the same fate as DK, then I'd suggest hiding somewhere in the brambles."

Wrinkly nodded along as she continued. "If you manage to get through Krem Quay, you'll eventually find yourselves inside Krazy Kremland. And I know it's tempting to go on the roller coasters there, but besides the Kremlings, those roller coasters could also kill you. So please don't go riding them, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Diddy replied.

"Good," Wrinkly continued. "Once you get through Krazy Kremland, you'll have to get through Gloomy Gulch. From there, you should keep going until you reach K. Rool's Keep. That's where DK should be, but for now, you just need to worry about getting through Crocodile Cauldron first."

Wrinkly handed Dixie the map, she began to read it over again before stuffing it into Diddy's backpack. "So what are you guys going to do?"

"Oh, you know," Cranky said, "We're just gonna sit and wait for you to get back. Besides, I heard the author loves to torture the main character."

"Wha-?"

"You know what? Forget I said anything!" Cranky yelled while pushing the younger Kongs out of the cabin. "Just don't come back until you find DK!"

Diddy gave Cranky a puzzled look before he took off with Dixie. Once the duo was gone, Cranky sat back down at the table. "So has anyone seen Squawks anywhere?"

"I asked him if he could send a message to DK." Funky replied. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just asking," Cranky said. "I'd rather have Squawks down here with us, but I suppose he'd work better as a messenger then any of us right now."

 

* * *

 

While Diddy and Dixie had started their adventure, Squawks was making his way over to K. Rool's Keep. He was at least thankful he had wings, and if he could, he would rescue DK in a heartbeat. But for now, all he could do was give him a message.

The parrot sighed as he flew by the dungeon's windows. As tiny as they were, DK was nowhere to be found. He started flying through the castle while making sure nobody noticed him...Although the ones that DID notice him hardly seemed to care. For all they knew, Squawks was just another parrot.

Eventually, Squawks made it to the top room of the castle. DK was in the middle of the room, surrounded by cannons and cannonballs. He was tied up and dangling from the ceiling. But thankfully, he was still alive.

"Is that you, DK?" Squawks asked as he flew in front of the ape. DK was confused at first, but he finally smiled. He was happy to see at least one of his friends.

"So what brings you here, Squawks?" DK asked.

"I'm just here to send a message," Squawks replied. "Diddy and Dixie are on this island right now, they're gonna do whatever it takes to save you."

"So they really are here?" DK asked, letting out a dejected sigh. Squawks gave him a confused look. "What's the matter? Shouldn't you be happy that they're trying to save you?"

DK looked away from the parrot, he tried to hide the look of concern on his face. "Look...as much as I appreciate it, it's probably best that they get out of here."

"But why?"

"Because I know K. Rool is up to something," DK replied. "If those two make it up here, then K. Rool won't hesitate to kill them. So I'm asking you as a friend, please tell them to tell them to get off this island and forget about me."

Squawks went silent, this wasn't something he would've expected DK of all people to say. But given the circumstances he was in, it was kind of understandable.

"Are you sure about this? Because Diddy's not going to be happy about it."

"Yes, I'm sure!" DK replied. "This ain't like the time he helped me beat K. Rool. If he keeps going, he'll get killed for sure. So please, Squawks...tell them to leave the island!"

"Yes, DK," Squawks said while nodding, "I understand!"

With that said, Squawks flew out of the room and started searching for the Kongs. DK knew that Diddy wouldn't be happy with this decision, but he honestly couldn't care less. All that mattered now was that Diddy was safe and out of harm's way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy is DK going to be disappointed.
> 
> Ah well, time to get the next chapter done.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took them a little while, but now they're finally exploring Crocodile Isle.
> 
> Admittedly, I've always liked the mine levels here...I especially like the music in these levels.

After they left the cabin, Diddy and Dixie were on their way to Crocodile Cauldron. From the name alone, they could tell it wasn't going to be a pleasant place to get through. After walking along the beach, they eventually stumbled upon what looked like a giant crocodile's head. The inside of the crocodile's mouth was dark, and yet its eyes appeared to be glowing red. It was as if the volcano was actually alive.

"This is the place, right?" Diddy asked while Dixie looked over the map. The ape smiled as she put the map back into Diddy's backpack. "Yeah, I'd say we're in the right place."

"You know, Kongsss," Rattly said while peaking out of the backpack. "I think one of my friendsss might be able to help you get through the volcano."

"Dude, what's your friend doing in a volcano!?" Diddy exclaimed.

"That'sss jussst where he livesss," Rattly replied. "And if we can find him, it'll be easssier for us to get to Krem Quay."

"Well I think it's a good idea," Dixie said excitedly. "What do you think, Diddy?"

"W-well," Diddy stuttered. "I guess another ally wouldn't hurt."

"Great," Rattly said as he ducked back into the backpack. "I jussst hope you're not arachnophobic."

Diddy had a puzzled expression on his face, why would someone like him be arachnophobic? It's not like he hasn't touched a spider before, although the thought of eating a spider was enough to make him uncomfortable. He started heading into Crocodile Cauldron with Dixie before any other strange thoughts could enter his mind. As the duo kept going, they began to notice that they stumbled across a mine. The walls of the mine were lined with topaz, there were crates, pickaxes, and lanterns scattered about. Diddy wasn't used to being in such a place like this. While there were the Monkey Mines and the Chimp Caverns back at home, they weren't anything like the mines here.

"I've never seen so many gems at once," Dixie said in awe. "I don't understand why K. Rool would want your island when he could just take the gems out of here."

"Because it's K. Rool," Diddy replied. "He'd take over the world if he could.

The duo stopped in their tracks as they heard someone walking by, they jumped into a couple of nearby crates before they could be spotted. Walking along the path were a couple of Kremlings. One of them was fatter and wore a pirate hat, the other Kremling was smaller and wore a fur coat. He had two hooks where his claws should be.

"Do you really think those Kongs might be around here, somewhere?"

"Well...after getting off the Gangplank Galleon, they couldn't have wandered off too far."

"Yeah, I'm a little worried about what K. Rool might do to them. After all, they're just kids!"

"Kids or not, they shouldn't have come here in the first place!"

Once the Kremlings were gone, the Kongs finally peaked their heads out of the crate.

"Looks like it didn't take long for them to find out that we're on the island," Dixie said.

"Yep," Diddy replied as he crawled out of the crate, "So we've gotta be careful."

The Kongs went a little further ahead. As they kept moving, the mines began to feel hotter and hotter until the Kongs felt like they were being cooked alive. Temperatures like this would be perfect for a reptile, but definitely not a Kong. Eventually, the duo reached a wall that stretched across the room. There were wooden planks embedded in the wall, as well as the topazes seen throughout the mine. There was also a bright orange glow coming from behind the wall, which the Kongs figured contained magma. Nonetheless, they began making their way up the wall. Diddy would jump from plank-to-plank, with Dixie following not too far behind him. Most of the planks that Diddy landed on held up pretty well, though some of them looked as if they would fall apart as soon as he landed on them. Eventually, Diddy was at a point where reaching the next plank would be impossible. And as soon as he jumped, he fell several feet into another plank.

"Gyah!" Dixie jumped after Diddy while once again using her ponytail to glide, she managed to land right next to him. "Are you OK!?"

"Ugh..." Slowly, Diddy began to sit up. This wouldn't have been the first time he'd fallen onto his face, but it still hurt nonetheless. He noticed something odd sticking out of the wall, it looked like a bunch of lava had pooled out...except the lava had legs. The creature turned around, it revealed itself to be a spider the size of DK. Dixie kept her guard up while Diddy tried to back away.

"What 'sss with all the ruckusss?" Rattly asked as he peaked out from the backpack, only to notice the spider in front of them. "Iss that you, Sssquitter?"

The spider perked up upon hearing its name, it grabbed Rattly from inside the backpack and started twirling him around...Somehow with shoes on its feet.

"I know," Rattly said, "I've misssed you too!"

"THAT'S your friend?" Diddy asked in shock.

"What were you ex-sspecting?" Rattly asked. "I DID warn you if you were arachnophobic."

"I'm not arachnophobic," Diddy argued. "I just wasn't expecting a spider THIS BIG!"

"Well if you think about it, a bigger spider would be a lot more helpful then a tiny one," Dixie said as she started to pet Squitter's head.

"That'sss good," Rattly replied, "becaussse he can help usss get through the hard partsss of Crocodile Cauldron."

Squitter nodded as he allowed the Kongs to climb on his back. He began to run along the planks like the Kongs did before. However, to the Kongs' surprise, he started shooting webs out of his mouth. This made it easier for the group to get past gaps. Squitter climbed and climbed until he was finally over the wall. The Kongs looked at the scenery in awe, there was Magma as far as the eye could see, there were crocodile-like creatures swimming in the lava. In front of them, however, was a path which lead to the outside. If Diddy recalled, the path should lead them to Krem Quay. Carefully, Squitter began to make his way through the volcano.

"Have you ever been in a place like this?" Diddy asked Dixie, the ape shook her head. "Dad never would've let us near magma...let alone an actual volcano."

"Really?" Diddy teased, "And here I thought you were an adventurer."

"Hey, I'm more of an adventurer then you'll ever be!" Dixie retorted, trying her best to imitate Cranky. Still, joking aside, he had never seen so much magma at once. Sure, he's seen magma back on Gorilla Glacier, but it was just a small pool compared to this. He also recalled seeing lava before on Timber's Island, but he wasn't sure if that counted...not to mention the lava there looked more like cheese than anything.

As the group continued, they were surrounded by the magma-swimming crocodiles. They didn't appear to be malicious. Instead, they looked curious. For all Diddy knew, these things have probably never seen a Kong before. On the plus side, that meant he didn't have to worry about them coming out of the lava and attacking him. He looked on ahead as Squitter kept going. At this rate, they'll be able to reach Krem Quay in no time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize about these chapters being kind of short. But hey, I'm glad I got something done.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we fight with swords...
> 
> I get that DKC is generally pretty cartoonish, but I always have trouble when it comes to enemies that should be inanimate objects. Nonetheless, I think I can work Kleever into this than I can with Dumb Drum in the last DKC adaption.

The group had been moving for a while, now. Squitter had managed to find a high-enough platform to where the Kongs wouldn't have to worry about burning themselves. The Kongs hopped off of Squitter's back. They found some hot-air ballons sitting around, though the baskets needed to board the balloons were crushed.

"Oh dear..." Rattly began to frown. "I was hoping thossse Kremlingsss would've left thossse hot-air balloonsss alone."

"Well, we could still ride them," Dixie said while holding the balloon above the lava, watching as it instantly filled up with air. "That shouldn't be too much of a problem, should it?"

"Not for you, maybe," Rattly replied. "But I'm afraid Squitter'sss far too big to hold onto them, and I don't want to leave him behind after we jussst reunited."

Diddy nodded in understanding. As much as he didn't want to leave his new friends behind, he couldn't just seperate them either. "I really appreciate the help, but I think we'll be fine on our own for a little while."

"All right," Rattly said. "It was niccce meeting you again, but have to warn you two about what liesss ahead."

"Are there Kremlings at the exit?" Dixie asked, "Because I'm sure we can handle it."

"Well...How ssshould I put thisss?" Rattly asked as he tried to think. "You Kongsss have a diety living on your island, right?"

"You mean Tiki Tong?" Diddy asked. "But he only wakes up once every 1,000 years."

"Well, unlike your diety, the diety who livesss on this island will wake up whenever a sssacrificcce is offered," Rattly replied. "Jussst be careful when you try to get to the ek-sssit, or it will thing YOU'RE the sssacrificcce."

"No worries," Dixie replied. "I'm sure we could still handle it...right, Diddy?"

Diddy turned pale, as just hearing the word "sacrifice" was enough to scare him. After all, what if that was what K. Rool was going to do with DK?

"Diddy!" Dixie yelled as she waved a hand in front of his face. "Are you OK?"

"...I'm fine," Diddy replied as he snapped back to reality. "I just kind of zoned out, that's all."

"Well at any rate, good luck out there," Rattly said as he curled around Squitter's leg. "Until we meet again!"

With Squitter and Rattly parting ways, the Kongs were on their own once again. Dixie held out the hot-air balloon and allowed it to fill up with air. "If we're gonna get outta here, we'll have to hold on to these things."

Diddy looked at the exit from the distance, all the surrounding lava was making him nervous. He looked at Dixie. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course," Dixie responded, "How else are we gonna get over there?"

"Can't you just use your ponytail?"

"Diddy...you know I can't glide THAT far."

"...Right."

"But if you're THAT scared, then I'll go first. How does that sound?"

"I-"

"Great, I'll meet you on the other side!" Dixie said as she hopped off the ledge while holding the balloon open. Despite being high above the lava, she sounded as if she were having the time of her life. She would even spin herself a few times before landing on the other side of the volcano. She called out to Diddy, but she was so far away, he wasn't able to hear her.

Diddy took a deep breath, he grabbed a nearby balloon and held it over the ledge, filling it with air. Looking at the lava below him was starting to make him dizzy, so he closed his eyes, jumped off the ledge, and hoped for the best. He couldn't tell if he was falling or flying, but he held onto the balloon regardless. He kept his body curled up the whole time until he was certain he was back on land. He managed to land on both feet.

"See? It wasn't that bad," Dixie said as she placed a hand on Diddy's shoulder. The monkey opened his eyes and gave her a stern look. "I am NEVER doing that again!"

The Kongs began to walk along the platform. In the middle of it, there was a massive pool of lava. Surrounding the pool was a bunch of large swords and cannonballs of various sizes. In fact, they were so big that even DK would have a problem carrying them. Diddy was certain that this was where the Kremling diety lived, judging by the pool's appearance. He stayed by Dixie's in case something were to happen. Both Kongs stopped walking as they heard something laugh, it was coming from the lava.

"Well, now...ye must be that wee Kong prince," said the voice in an intimidating manor. "Here t' save that useless uncle o' yers?"

"I...wouldn't call myself a prince," Diddy said quietly.

"And why do you care?" Dixie asked angrily.

"'cause I know everythin' that goes on in this island," said the voice. "'n since YOU'RE here, that can only mean ONE thin'."

"...You're not...gonna kill me, are ya?" Diddy asked, ducking as he heard the voice laugh again.

"I'll tell yout wha', kid...If ye can beat one o' me Kleevers, then I'll let ye keep goin'. But if ye lose, then yer soul be mine. How does that sound?"

"...Not very good."

"Well, then how about this?" asked the voice. "If ye lose, then not only will I take YOUR soul, but that lass's soul as well."

The Kongs gasped as the swords around them began to float. They circled Dixie before hitting the ground, caging her inside the circle. Diddy freaked out, he wanted to pull her out of the swords, but he didn't want her to get hurt either. Suddenly, a giant sword came out of the lava. It was twice the size of the other swords surrounding it, its eyes were glowing red.

"Don't jus' stand thar, lad!" yelled the voice. "Fight the Kleever and I'll let ye go!"

"I guess it's all up to you, Diddy," Dixie said as she sat down, unable to do much in her makeshift cage. The Kleever started lunging towards Diddy, he barely managed to dodge. Taking down a living sword wasn't going to be like taking down a beaver or a croc, so Diddy had to think of something he could use. Picking up one of those swords was going to be a hassle, so perhaps he could find a way to use the cannonballs?

Diddy ran towards the opposite side of the pool, hoping he could out-run the Kleever. When he grabbed onto one of the cannonballs, he threw it as hard as he could. Unfortunately, the cannonball didn't go very far. Diddy tried to run again, but the Kleever was given a chance to attack. It managed to cut Diddy's left arm, the wound went from his shoulder to his elbow.

"Maybe you should use a smaller cannonball?" Dixie yelled. Diddy nodded as he started running, again. He wasn't sure if a smaller cannonball would do much damage, but at the very least it would be enough to stun it. He scrambled to grab one of the smaller cannonballs before throwing it. The cannonball was able to set the Kleever back, but it didn't stop it from attacking Diddy. This time, it managed to strike his back. The monkey ended up collapsing onto the ground, causing Dixie to panic.

"Wha's th' matter, lad?" teased the voice, "Too weak t' fight?"

"Ugh..." Diddy stood up and sat against the wall, he watched as the Kleever hovered over him. Once the sword lunged, Dixie covered her eyes. She was expecting to hear a scream, and yet, she heard nothing. When she opened her eyes, she could see Diddy standing beside the Kleever. It had embedded itself inside the wall, with no chance to escape. Diddy had a shocked expression on his face, it was as if he wasn't expecting to live another second.

"DIDDY, NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!" Dixie yelled, snapping Diddy out of his shock. He grabbed one of the heaviest cannonballs he could carry and threw it as hard as he could at the Kleever. Once it got hit, the handle had broken off the blade. The swords around Dixie had vanished, the handle from the Kleever flew around until it landed into the pool. From the looks of it, the fight was finally over.

After having to fight such a difficult foe, Diddy collapsed against the wall. He couldn't remember the last time he was this tired. Upon seeing this, Dixie ran towards him and offered to give him her hand. "Are you OK?"

Diddy nodded, "I've...I've been better."

"Well, now," said the voice, "It looks like ye might get t' live a wee bit longer."

"D-do you really mean it?" Diddy asked excitedly.

"Aye, lad!" the voice replied. "But...th' future ain't necessarily set in stone, 'n I can't tell ye wha'll happen next. So I'll give ye Kongs a choice. If ye go home, then ye'll be a disgrace t' yer entire tribe. But if ye keep goin', then ye'll 'ave t' face every single obstacle th' island 'as in store fer ye. Wha' do ye choose?"

"It's...nice of you to offer," Diddy said, "But I'm not ready to throw in the towel, yet."

"So ye'll keep goin', even at th' risk o' yer owns life?"

Diddy nodded. "DK would've done the same thing for me. And besides, I've got Dixie here to help me."

"...Very well then," said the voice, "Jus' know that this won't be th' last time ye'll hear from ole Kerozene!"

With that said, the Kongs finally left the volcano. Even with the dangers that awaited them, they had no choice but to move forward.

 

* * *

 

Leaving Crocodile Cauldron was like a breath of fresh air for the Kongs. They no longer had to put up with the sweltering heat, nor did they need to worry about fighting Kerozene's swords. All they needed to do, now, was get through the rest of the island.

As the Kongs continued to walk, Dixie couldn't help but stare at the wound on Diddy's arm. It looked as if it still hurt, especially after having to fight off something as dangerous as a giant sword. Diddy began to notice her staring, he started to grow more self-conscious about it. He put his hand over the wound to try and cover it up.

"...Sorry, I know I shouldn't be staring," Dixie said, scratching the back of her head. "But it looks so...painful."

"Hey, it could've been MUCH worse," Diddy replied. "We could've lost our souls back there."

Dixie nodded. While she appreciated Diddy's bravery, she didn't want him to run into every single Kremling they came across. Of course...the sun was still up, so it had to be mid-afternoon at the very latest.

"Do you wanna call it a day?" Dixie asked while clasping her hands together.

"Why?" Diddy asked, tilting her head.

"Because," Dixie replied. "If we rest up now, then it'll be night time as soon as we wake up. That way, it'll be harder for those Kremlings to find us."

"Oh yeah," Diddy said upon realization. "That's actually a really good idea, but how are we gonna rest up when those Kremlings could come out here at any moment?"

Dixie paused, that was actually a really good question. There were hardly any trees or bushes around, and the only plants in the area were in the water. Still, Dixie was sure that she could figure something out.

Perhaps there would be something in the crossroads? Hopefully by then, there would be enough plants to hide around in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact...Whenever I play the one level with the balloons, I always have the Kongs ride of each other's shoulders. It always makes me think the other Kong isn't getting left out for some reason.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy...Time for me to abuse the pirate speak again~!
> 
> If you're at all curious about this chapter, I'm just letting the Kongs rest up...well, sort of.

The Kongs moved forward, they had finally stumbled upon the crossroads. As Wrinkly had stated earlier, one of the paths lead to Krem Quay. The other path, apparently, lead to a toll booth. Sitting in the toll booth was Klubba, who had a bored expression on his face. Once he noticed the Kongs, however, he started calling out to them.

"Ahoy, fleabags!"

The Kongs paused upon being called, the looks of horror on their face was obvious. Klubba stepped out of the toll booth and headed towards them. While he had heard from Screech that two Kongs had invaded the island, but he really wasn't expecting them to be so...small.

"Say, how ol' are ye two supposed t' be?" Klubba asked while placing a hand over his jaw. The Kongs gave each other a strange look, neither of them were sure what to say.

C'mon, ye mangy apes," Klubba yelled, "answer th' question!"

"We're 9," Diddy finally replied. Klubba looked at him in disbelief, "9 years old? An' ye're on an island like this?"

"Well, we've gotta save DK before K. Rool kills him," Diddy explained, causing Klubba to chuckle. "An ye reckon he'll go easy on a 9 year old?"

The trio paused as they heard someone singing, Klubba looked down at the Kongs, now with a stern look. "Listen...unless ye wants t' wind up dead, then I suggest ye come wit' me!"

The Kongs nodded as they followed Klubba to the toll booth, he opened the door. "Stay in thar 'n don't come out 'til says I so!"

Dixie gave Diddy strange look, but for the time being, they figured it was best to do what he said, They walked inside the toll booth and hid behind the wall, though Diddy couldn't help but peak through the window. Klubba was standing over the bridge when another Kremling eventually walked over to him. He looked very similar to Klubba, except his scales were grey instead of green. From what Diddy could tell, they were probably twins.

"Oi, Klubba! 'ave ye seen any Kongs around here?"

"Nope, I haven't seen a thin'." Klubba couldn't help but shrug. "Fer all I know, they prolly burned up in Crocodile Cauldron."

"Well that won't do us any good," Klubba's brother replied. "K. Rool said he wanted both o' those Kongs alive."

"Actually..." Klubba placed a claw under his chin, he started to look up. "Now that I think about it, I thought I saw somethin' towards Krem Quay a while ago."

"THEN WHY DIDN' YE TRY T' STOP 'EM!?"

"'cause I 'ave t' stay here 'n guard th' Lost World today," Klubba replied. "We can't 'ave those mangy apes runnin' in thar now can we?"

"Aaaargh, I guess ye're right," Klubba's brother replied. "I'll be keepin' an eye out fer them while I be at Krem Quay. Ye can...well...keep doin' wha' ye're doin'."

Klubba sighed in relief once his brother was gone, he looked over at the toll booth. "OK, ye can come out now."

Both Kongs looked out of the window, they sighed in relief as Klubba's brother had taken off.

"So you're name's Klubba, right?" Diddy asked.

"Aye? Wha' about it?"

"Well...why'd you save us?" Diddy asked. "Aren't you gonna turn us in?"

Klubba shrugged. "Me brother might not realize it, but K. Rool treats us rotten. If ye so much as say one word against 'im, then he'll torture ye t' th' point where ye no longer wants t' live."

Diddy couldn't help but frown. He knew K. Rool was crazy, but he had no idea what it was like to live under his rule. He's heard stories about K. Rool going out of his way to do crazy things to the Kongs, but he couldn't fathom how someone would treat their own troops like that.

"Well...you're a big guy, aren't you?" Dixie asked, "Why can't you take down K. Rool, yourself?"

Klubba sighed, he turned towards the Kongs and pointed to his eye patch. "Do ye see this? K. Rool poked me eye out as a warnin' t' ne'er go against his wishes. Since then, Kudgel 'n I 'ave been goin' along wit' wha' that madman tells us t' do."

"Oh gees," Dixie said while clasping her hands over her mouth. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be," Klubba replied. "'tis happened a long time ago, so thar's no use in feelin' sorry now."

Once again, the Kongs gave each other strange looks.

"Anyway," Klubba continued. "Ye can stay 'til sunrise. 'cause once Kudgel finds out I be hidin' ye two, 'tis Davy Jones' Locker fer me."

Diddy quietly sighed as he slid back into the booth. After everything he had gone through so far, he was long overdue for a break. He felt that if he were to keep going at this point, he would either get captured or get killed. And like Dixie had said earlier, it was probably best to wait until night time to keep going.

 

* * *

 

Several hours had passed, and it was finally night time. Diddy found himself curled up on the floor. he had a banana in his hand for some reason. Part of him had wished that everything that had happened so far would've just been a bad dream, and that he would just wake up back at the treehouse. But sadly, no amount of wishing would be able to bring him home.

He looked over at Dixie, the young ape was curled up against the wall. Next to her was a banana peel, it looked like she had already eaten. With that said, Diddy peeled the banana in his hand and started eating it.

He had to admit, he wouldn't have gotten this far if it weren't for Dixie. All her energy aside, she was always making sure that Diddy was safe. While it could've just been instincts she developed from her younger relatives, it was still one of those things Diddy couldn't help but admire about her.

...Diddy dropped the banana peel as he stretched, he looked outside of the window. He could see Klubba sitting in a chair with a bottle of rum in his hand.

"It took ye long enough, didn' it?" Klubba asked, his speech somewhat slurred. "I was beginnin' t' think that ye died back thar."

Diddy tilted his head. "Why...would I be dead?"

"Look around ye!" Klubba slurred. "Ye're standin' in enemy territory, 'tis only a matter o' time afore they capture ye."

Diddy sighed, he climbed out of the toll booth and sat down next to the croc. Klubba offered to give Diddy some of his rum. "Do ye wants any o' this?"

"Uh...No thanks," Diddy replied.

"Suit yourself," Klubba replied as he took another drink from his rum. Diddy looked up at the sky, he could hardly see the moon up there...nor could he see the stars. While there might not be any rain, there definitely wouldn't be any light where they were going...Assuming they would make it out of Krem Quay alive, anyway.

"Wha''s th' matter, lad?" Klubba asked. "Afraid o' th' dark?"

Diddy shook his head. "It's not that."

"Then wha' be it?"

"I'm...more afraid that I'll never get to see my home again," Diddy confessed. "I won't be able to see my friends, my family...heck, I don't know if I'll ever see Dixie by the end of this,"

"Ye mean th' lass sleepin' in th' toll booth right now?"

"Yep, that's her," Diddy replied. "And don't get me wrong, she's been a great partner so far...I just don't know how much longer we'll be able to last out here. I don't even know if I should say anything to her."

"Well? Why nah tell her ye love her?"

"W-WHAT!?"

"Wha'? 'tis obvious that ye 'ave a thin' fer her," Klubba teased while taking another drink. "'n if she doesn't love ye back...Then 'ey, at least ye told her how ye felt about her, right?"

Diddy looked away as he started to blush. He loved Dixie, yes...but he wouldn't go THAT far, would he? Besides, Dixie would probably see him as a creep if he said such things...still, were his feelings that obvious?

A little more time had passed, and Dixie had finally woken up. She stepped outside with a groggy expression on her face, which was understandable given how dark it was.

"So are you ready to head over to Krem Quay?" Dixie asked. Diddy nodded as he stood up from his spot. "Uh...Thanks for letting us stay here, by the way."

"'twas no problem," Klubba replied. "Good luck tryin' t' take down K. Rool."

The Kongs began to venture forth once again, they were finally ready to get passed Krem Quay. And given how dark it was, they shouldn't have a problem hiding from the Kremlings. However, Diddy couldn't help but feel somewhat bitter. What did that big Kremling know about love, anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Aren't I a bitch?
> 
> It always amuses me how much of a jerk Klubba was in the game. And yet, the instant you decide to pay him, he becomes one of your best friends.
> 
> I didn't really think that being a jerk would fit Klubba all that well, though...so all that jerkiness is going to Kudgel.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh...I can't believe this thing hasn't been updated since last year (or more like 3 weeks, but you get the joke).
> 
> But yeah. 10 chapters and I'm not even done with this thing!

As the Kongs finally entered Krem Quay, they began to notice the smell of dead fish. The boardwalks standing in the water were covered in moss. As for the water itself, it was full of algae, broken ship parts, and lilypads.

"So...how do you think we should get through here?" Dixie asked.

"Uh..." Diddy was at a loss of words. To be fair, he wouldn't want to swim in the water, either. Just then, the Kongs could see a brown parrot flying by, they could've sworn that they had seen him somewhere before.

"Isn't that one of K. Rool's pets?" Dixie asked.

"I think so," Diddy replied. "And if he catches us, he'll call us out for sure."

"So what do you think we should do, then?"

Diddy thought for a moment, he was really as a loss for what to do now. He looked up at the bird again, it looked back at him before flying away. Diddy panicked, he jumped onto one of the lilypads. "WE'VE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!"

"DIDDY, WAIT!" Dixie yelled as she chased after him. The Kongs hopped from lilypad to lilypad until they were close enough to the village. At that point, an anglerfish leapt out and pulled Diddy underwater. Dixie was about to jump after him when she started to hear Kremlings running along the boardwalks. She quietly made her way into the water and under one of the lilypads.

"Oi, someone out thar!?" yelled a familer voice. Dixie continued to hide under the under the lilypad, avoiding the light coming from the Kremling's flashlight. She looked up as soon as the light was gone. Kudgel was standing at the end of the boardwalk. He had a flashlight in one hand and a club in the other hand, he also had the brown parrot sitting on his shoulder.

"Are ye sure those Kongs are out here, Screech?"

"Yes I'm sure," Screech replied bitterly. "I saw them with my own two eyes."

"Well, then I guess we'll 'ave t' keep an eye out," Kudgel said as he walked back towards the village. Once the duo was gone, Dixie took the lilypad off her head. She nearly screamed when Diddy came out of the water, gasping for air.

"Are you OK?" Dixie asked while patting his back. Diddy nodded, he could see some lights moving around within the village, which wasn't a very good sign. He looked down into the water, the anglerfish was headed underneath the boardwalks. However, he stopped and looked up at the Kongs with pleading eyes.

"...Cranky said somethin' about Brambles, right?" Diddy asked, "If we get past the village, I'm sure we'll be able to find 'em."

"All right, but what if we get caught?" Dixie asked.

"Then...Actually, I'm not sure what'll happen-."

"Hey, is anyone out there!?"

Quickly, the Kongs dived underwater and started following the angler fish. Once they were under the boardwalk, they waited for the Kremlings to disappear.

"I don't see anything out here, do you?"

"...Nope, nothin'."

"That's a shame...but I'll bet we'll find the Kongs on the other side of the village!"

The Kongs stayed silent as the Kremlings took off, they quietly followed the anglerfish as best as they could. Along the boardwalks, the Kongs could hear the Kremlings speak to each other. They mostly heard some mundane things, such as one Kremling asking his friend if it was too late to eat dinner. They heard another Kremling wonder out loud if he could simply keep the Kongs as pets...which sounded pretty insulting. Eventually, the Kongs made their way out of the village. They started climbing along one of the boardwalks, again. However, neither of Kongs realized that they were being watched by Kudgel and Screech as they left the water.

"Say, aren't those th' Kongs K. Rool wanted us t' capture?"

"Gee, what do you think?" Screech asked bitterly.

"Don't get smart wit' me, bird!" Kudgel scolded. "Besides...if they be goin' t' sneak past us like that, then th' least I could do be surprise them."

"Well, would you look at that?" Screech teased, "I guess there's a brain in that head after all!"

"Oh, buzz off!" Kudgel yelled as he swatted at Screech. He dived into the water and started following the Kongs, he made sure not to alert them of his presence.

 

* * *

 

 

The Kongs had gotten pretty far from the village. Surprisingly, they couldn't help but notice how beautiful the swamp looked here. There were fireflies and dragonflies flying above the water, which had anglerfish swimming underneath. Diddy couldn't help but feel as if he were surrounded by the stars themselves, as he wouldn't have expected to see something like this coming from Crocodile Isle. In fact, anglerfish were rare over on Donkey Kong Island. He looked over at Dixie, who was as awestruck by the scenery as he was.

"I thought you would've seen something like this before," Diddy said.

"...Not really," Dixie replied. "We rarely traveled at night."

"Well I can't say I blame ya," Diddy said with a shrug. "After all, you never know what might pop out at you."

"Yeah...but I suppose even the most dangerous places on earth can have its beautiful moments," Dixie said. Diddy nodded in agreement. Part of him wished that DK was around to see this. But at the same time, he felt just as safe whenever Dixie was around. For a moment, he wondered if he really was in love with her, or maybe it was just Klubba messing around with him. Either way, as much as he wanted to keep his feelings to himself, perhaps he and Dixie could talk it out. He took a deep breath.

"Hey, Dixie?"

"Yeah?"

"There's...something I need to tell you."

But before either of the Kongs could speak, Kudgel managed to leap out of the water and land in front of them. "Did ye really think ye two could get away from me?"

The Kongs jumped back as Kudgel tried to whack them with his club. Dixie looked at Diddy, she had a clueless look on her face. "What do we do now?"

"I-I dunno," Diddy responded, terrified. Kudgel tried to hit them again, this time he barely grazed Dixie's arm. There had to be something they could do...maybe they could throw something at him? Or someone?

"Say, Dixie? How much can you carry?"

"Now's not the time for that, Dids!"

"But I think I know how to get past this guy?"

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Dixie asked in a sarcastic tone.

"You've gotta throw me!" Diddy said quietly. "When he raises his club, throw me as hard as you can."

Dixie wanted to question him, but she figured it was best to just go along with the plan. She grabbed Diddy's arm and waited for Kudgel to raise his club again. Once it was raised, she twirled Diddy around before throwing him at the Kudgel's chest. Once he was down, both Kongs ran along the boardwalk as fast as they could. Kudgel quickly stood up and started chasing them. The Kongs ran and ran until they finally came up to a broken flight of stairs, covered in brambles. Quickly, they made their way up the brambles and onto the stairs. Kudgel tried to continue the chase, but he was too big to fit through the brambles. Not only that, the club was no good at clearing them out of the way. He threw the club in anger, he started yelling at the Kongs.

"IF EITHER O' YE SHOW YER FACES HERE AGAIN, I'LL KILL YE BOTH!"

 

* * *

 

 

Once the Kongs were certain they were safe from harm, they stopped running and rested against the one of stairs. Once again, Dixie pulled the map out of Diddy's backpack. Unfortunately, the map was unreadable due to being exposed to the water. The ape huffed as she threw it in frustration.

"Everything all right?" Diddy asked as he sat down. Dixie couldn't help but sigh "So we don't have a map anymore...but I think we're closer to rescuing DK now that we're up here."

"So then we have two more places to get through until we reach K. Rool's place, right?"

"I think so," Dixie replied. "Besides, I think Swanky and Candy are supposed to be up ahead."

"Ah gees," Diddy said while facepalming. "I forgot those two were on the island."

"Well, they're working at a carnival, aren't they?" Dixie asked. "I'm sure they could find a way for us to sneak by without getting caught."

"Yeah...and hopefully K. Rool hasn't gone after them" Diddy said somberly as he started resting his head in his hands. Dixie gave him a patient smile and sat down next to him. "Oh, come on...I'm sure he wouldn't be that...K. Rool."

Diddy glared at her. Given the situation they were in, Dixie had to admit the joke was rather tasteless. The ape tried to think of something else to talk about.

"So...wasn't there something you wanted to tell me back there?"

"Hm?" Diddy lifted his head and gave her a confused look.

"Uh...there was something you wanted to tell me before we were attacked, right."

"Well..." Diddy looked as if he were trying to think, he ended up shaking his head. "Nevermind, I forgot what I was gonna say."

"Oh..." Dixie looked disappointed, but she smiled nonetheless. "Well, let me know if you remember."

Obviously, Diddy was lying. He wanted to tell Dixie how he felt about her, but from the looks of it, now wasn't the best time to say anything. The Kongs continued to make their way up the stairs, their journey wasn't over yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh...Friendly reminder that I'm aromantic and have no idea how romance is supposed to work. That aside, I'm glad I got this done.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small chapter this time, but what can you do?

While the younger Kongs continued to scale Crocodile Isle, K. Rool had been dozing off in his throne. He was tempted to fall asleep, but he needed to be awake. He needed to be conscious when his troops bring those Kongs over. He could hear a bird flapping into the window, he knew it had to be Screech.

"Your majesty, I have something important to tell you," Screech said as he landed on the throne. K. Rool began to smile. "Let me guess, those Kongs finally got captured?"

"Actually, no," Screech replied. "They've already gotten past Krem Quay, and now they're on their way to Krazy Kremland."

"Really, now?" K. Rool asked bitterly. "Are you sure those lunkheads down there haven't done anything to capture them?"

"Well, Kudgel chased them down until they reached the brambles."

"And what about Klubba?"

"I'm...not sure, actually," Screech said as he brought a feather over his beak. "I don't think those Kongs would've been stupid enough to challenge him, anyhow."

"Unbelievable..." K. Rool said, shaking his head. "But uh...that pipsqueak is still on his way here, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And DK's still hanging out of the Flying Krock, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Then I guess we don't have to worry about a thing," K. Rool said, grinning. "All we have to do is wait for them to rescue DK."

"And why would we want them to do that?" Screech asked.

"Because once those brats enter that room, we should be able to wake up Kerozene. That way, I'll be able to kill DK in peace while their souls become nothing more then energy for this island."

"So in other words, a fate worse then death?"

"Exactly!" K. Rool said as he stood up from his throne. "Now if you need me, I'll be keeping an eye out for those brays upstairs!"

Screech tilted his head as K. Rool marched upstairs. At times, he couldn't help but worry about K. Rool's plans...but at the same time, he was certain that everything would turn out just fine. After all, once those Kongs were dead, then there would be nothing else to worry about.

 

* * *

 

As the Kongs moved on, they finally reached the second level on Crocodile Isle. Unlike the bottom level, the Kongs were able to see flashing lights in the distance. Strangely enough, they could also see Zingers flying by them. Diddy couldn't help but wonder why Zingers would be in a place like this, especially when their queen was all the way back on Donkey Kong Island. Then again, maybe the Zingers have their own reasons for being here?

Eventually, the Kongs made it to the entrance of Krazy Kremland. Although the amusement park looked as if it had seen better days, the Kremlings here didn't seem to mind. In fact, one could say that Krazy Kremland was like a paradise to these Kremlings. The only problem the Kongs had now, however, was how to get through the park. Sure, they didn't have to worry about someone like Kudgel coming after them. But even then, they weren't entirely safe. They cautiously stayed near the shrubs until they spotted another Kong standing outside his tent. This Kong was wearing a blue suit and a crocodile mask, he had Squawks sitting on his afro. When Diddy and Dixie took notice, they quietly approached the Kong.

"There you are!" Squawks exclaimed as he spotted the Kongs, "I was looking all over for you!"

"Who are you talking to?" the Kong asked as he turned his head. He lifted his mask off as he saw the younger Kongs, he had a slight resemblance to DK and Funky.

"And what the heck you YOU doing here?" asked the Kong, "Don't you know this place is dangerous?"

"Believe me, we know," Diddy said bluntly.

"Anyway, Funky told us that we needed to look for you guys," Dixie added.

"Well, then we might want to take this inside," the Kong whispered as he dragged the duo into the tent, weary of who would be listening. He took the duo into the changing room. There, another Kong was inside applying make-up to her face. She wore a long, purple dress and had a matching purple flower over her ear. Next to her desk were a couple of Kremling masks, which Diddy assumed was how these Kongs could stay here in the first place.

"Say, Candy? Did you ask my nephew to come over here?"

"Why...would I wanna do that?" Candy asked as she turned her head, she looked completely shocked as she saw all three Kongs standing behind her. Diddy gave her an awkward smile as he waved.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE!?" Candy yelled.

"We're here to save DK," Diddy replied. Candy was stunned. she looked over at Squawks. "I guess you weren't lying after all."

"What? Did you really think I would be joking about this kind of thing?"

"Wait a minute," Diddy interrupted. "Shouldn't you be back with Cranky, Squawks?"

"I know I should," Squawks replied, "But DK asked me to look for you guys."

"Really?" Dixie asked. "What did he say?"

"He told me to tell you guys to go home," Squawks said. "Though given how far you two have gotten, I don't think that's an option, anymore."

"Obviously not," Diddy replied. "At this point, all we need to worry about is getting through this place and Gloomy Gultch."

"Well in that case, you'll need to wear these if you want to get out of Krazy Kremland." Candy grabbed two masks and two different coats, one was blue while the other was purple. Swanky gave Candy a confused look. "You're not actually serious about helping them, are you?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Candy asked as she handed each Kong a mask and a coat, "If they're goin' to save DK, then they'll need all the help they can get."

"...Right," Swanky placed a hand under his chin. "But what are we s'posed to do? Sit here and wait for K. Rool to capture us?"

"Why don't you just go back to the beach?" Dixie asked. "Everyone else is still there."

"But why?"

"To put a long story short, a Necky attacked Funky's plane," Diddy said as he started putting on the blue coat. "So I don't think everyone else is going anywhere."

Swanky looked at Candy, all she could do was shrug. "Hey, it's not like we're getting that many customers anyway!"

"...All right, then I guess we'll be leaving soon," Swanky said with a groan. "Who knows? Maybe I'll have more luck in the Northern Kremisphere?"

Once Swanky grabbed his belongings, he had left the dressing room. Candy began to follow him. But before she left, she patted Diddy on the head. "I don't know what's going to happen next, but I'm sure it'll turn out all right in the end."

Once again, the Kongs were on their own. However, Squawks quickly flew back to them and landed on Dixie's beret. Diddy gave him a curious look. "What's up, Squawks?"

"Nothing is up," Squawks replied. "But if you're going to K. Rool's castle, you're going to need someone to guide you, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Great, then we'll get through Krazy Kremland and move on from there!"

Diddy and Dixie gave each other strange looks. They were thankful to have an animal buddy around, but they weren't sure what Squawks was capable of. Still, any ally was better then no ally, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for those of you that are curious, I have a headcanon that Swanky and DK are half-brothers (Funky is Swanky's brother, but DK's half-brother).
> 
> I try to leave things up to interpretation, but it's not like it's super-important anyhow ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Admittedly, I feel like this one's probably my weakest chapter.

Once the Kongs were fully disguised, they headed outside of the tent. Diddy wore a blue coat with a green croc mask while Dixie wore a purple coat with a red crock mask. As for Squawks, he continued to sit on Dixie's head. For the most part, neither of the Kongs looked any different from the Kremlings roaming the park. With that in mind, they moved on.

"Say, Squawks?" Diddy asked. The parrot looked down at the younger Kong beside him. "Yeah?"

"You've gone ahead of us, right?" Diddy continued. "'Cause I wanna know if you've seen any spiders or snakes around."

"Well that's...kind of an odd statement," Squawks replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because we met two other friends earlier on our adventure," Dixie replied. "We haven't seen them since we got through Crocodile Cauldron."

Squawks thought for a moment, he began to scratch his head with his claws. "Come to think of it, I DID see a spider and a snake scaling the sides of Crocodile Isle. I think they were chasing some spirit to Gloomy Gulch, though I could've just imagined it."

"Oh...well at least they're still alive," Diddy replied, as he hoped said spirit wasn't Krow planning his revenge. As the Kongs kept moving, they noticed how little attention they were getting from the Kremlings. Some of them would take notice of Squawks while others commented on how long Dixie's ponytail was. But aside from that, things seemed to be going smoothly.

Eventually, the Kongs came across a large rollar coaster. The sign in front of it read "Haunted Hall", it was covered in what appeared to be brambles. Dixie couldn't help but feel mesmerized by the ride, she started tugging at Diddy's sleeve.

"What's up?" Diddy asked curiously. Dixie pointed at the ride, "We've gotta check it out!"

"Um...didn't Wrinkly say NOT to go on the rides?"

"Yeah...but she doesn't have to know," Dixie teased. "Besides, when's the last time you've ever been on a roller coaster?"

"Uh...do minecarts count?"

"Look, it's fine if you don't wanna go on a roller coaster," Dixie said with a shrug. "But I'm telling you, you're missing out!"

With that, Dixie began to head towards the roller coaster. Diddy sighed as Squawks flew on top of his head.

"Can't say I blame ya for sticking out here," Squawks said. "These roller coasters are CRAZY!"

"Well if anything happens, Dixie can just glide outta the way," Diddy said with certainty.

"So you're not worried about her at all?"

"I'm worried, but I don't wanna get in her way," Diddy replied.

"And why not?"

"Because...she'd probably find me annoying if I kept on bugging her."

"But isn't she your best friend?"

"Y-yeah, but-"

"Oh..." Squawks began to smirk, "I see what's going on."

Diddy's face began to turn red, he swatted Squawks away before running towards the roller coaster. "DIXIE, WAIT! I CHANGED MY MIND!"

"YOU CAN'T RUN FROM YOUR FEELINGS FOREVER!" Squawks yelled as he landed on a nearby rope. Diddy gave Squawks a bitter look.

"What's he goin' on about now?" Dixie asked.

"Uh...it's nothing important," Diddy replied. He was thankful that she didn't hear that whole conversation. Besides, now really wasn't the best time to confess his feelings towards her.

A few more moments went by, and a cart had stopped near the entrance. The two small Kremlings riding the cart stumbled off, it was as though the two of them were about to vomit. Dixie hopped onto the cart without a second thought, and though Diddy was hesitant, he hopped onto the seat behind her. The Kremlings around them gave them strange looks, but they decided not to question it. As the Kremling in charge of the ride pulled a nearby lever, the cart began to move. Diddy was slightly tempted to jump off, but he knew it wouldn't have been a good idea. Besides, the cart was already heading up a slope. As the cart continued to move upwards, Diddy began to feel more and more anxious. Sure, he'd been in a minecart before. But at least he didn't have to see ground beneath him.

"Hold on tight!" Dixie yelled as the cart finally began making its way downward. Diddy screamed as he held onto the cart for dear life. All the flashing lights in the park were speeding by the duo, it was starting to make the Kongs dizzy. Eventually, they found themselves inside some-sort of building. They looked as if they were going through a dimly-lit library.

"Well, now...who would've thought that a couple o' Kongs would make it this far?"

Diddy looked around, he wasn't sure where that voice came from...nor was he sure that Dixie heard it, but it was enough to keep his fur standing on end.

"It doesn't matter how positive ye be. Eventually, one o' ye be goin' t' break. 'n when ye do, 'twon't be pretty!"

In that moment, Diddy thought he saw a skeletal Kremling coming after him. Its boney claws looked as if they could crush metal. But when the Kongs got out of the haunted building, the cart made a sharp turn. Unfortunately, that sharp turn had sent the Kongs flying out of Krazy Kremland. Squawks flapped his wings as he heard them scream, he quickly bolted towards their direction.

 

* * *

 

After the cart landed, Diddy found himself lying on the ground. He was covered in dirt, his hat and mask had gone missing. He couldn't help but feel as if someone tried to beat him senseless.

He stood up, though he could feel pain in his shins. Nonetheless, he started searching for Dixie. By the time he had found her, she was lying face-first into the dirt. Her Kremling mask was missing, and her beret was sitting a few feet away from her.

"Are you OK, Dixie?" Diddy asked as he nudged her arm. Dixie sat up, but she couldn't stand. She had scrapes on her hands and legs.

"I've...been better," Dixie replied as she attempted to stand. But once again, she couldn't. Diddy knelt down and allowed Dixie to climb onto his back. "Well, if we stay any longer, someone might find us out here."

Dixie nodded. At this point, she was sitting on Diddy's shoulders. While the extra weight didn't make his legs feel any better, he knew he had to endure it until they found another place to hide.

"SQUAWK!"

The Kongs looked up as Squawks flew towards him. The parrot looked as if he had witnessed a murder, but was relieved upon seeing his friends were all right.

"THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE ALIVE!" Squawks exclaimed. "I was worried that you two would've broken something!"

"Believe me," Dixie said, "I've been through worse."

"Well we wouldn't have to worry about it if someone had listened to me," Diddy argued.

"And? You were the one that changed your mind about going on!"

"ONLY BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO TELL SQUAWKS-"

"TELL HIM WHAT, EXACTLY!?" Dixie yelled. Diddy went silent, he just decided to keep moving. Dixie started tugging at the fur on his head. "Hey, what were you gonna tell him!?"

"Don't worry about it," Diddy said in a bitter tone. Arguing wasn't going to get them anywhere, and he knew he had to keep going. But between being hunted by Kremlings and Dixie wanting to yell at him, Diddy wasn't sure about how much more he could take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that the "Haunted Hall" doesn't happen until the next area (Gloomy Gulch), but the manual for DKC2 mentioned how the roller coasters were haunted. And this one was the only one that fit the haunted theme, so...


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus...it's about time that a certain someone spills the beans.

Further ahead of Krazy Kremland sat a large Zinger's nest, reminiscent to the one back on Donkey Kong Island. Between having Dixie on his back and having to step through honey, Diddy could tell that getting through here wasn't going to be easy.

Neither Kong had spoken to each other since the argument, as they didn't want to make the situation worse. For one thing, there were plenty of Zingers flying above them. The younger Zingers were sitting inside their cells, watching as the Kongs walk by. The other thing that the Kongs were worried about is whether or not they'd run into their leader. Spikes aside, Zingers were usually pretty docile. However, there was a good chance that their leader was as deranged as K. Rool himself.

"You know, my cousin used to collect as much honey as he possibly could from these Zinger nests," Squawks said.

"Really?" Diddy asked with a curious expression.

"Yep, he used to bring all that honey back for us parrots," Squawks said. "Though nowadays, he can't get through without getting stung."

"So Zingers are THAT strict, huh?" Diddy asked with a shrug. Then again, he already knew what it was like to have food stolen from him. It wasn't fun.

The group moved further into the nest. At this point, the Zingers were becoming more and more agitated. It was as if they were expecting danger to pop up as well. Many of them began hiding in their cells. Diddy looked at Squawks with a frightened look, "Say...what's the queen here like?"

"There is no queen," Squawks replied.

"And...how would you know that?" Diddy asked. "Does Queen B own this hive too?"

Squawks shook his head. "This hive actually belongs to her ex-husband, King Zing."

"But I thought the queen was s'posed to be the one in charge."

"Well...if we're lucky, then maybe King Zing hasn't grown since then."

There was a low buzzing sound, Dixie looked around to see where the noise was coming from. And yet, she couldn't see anything. Perhaps she just imagined it?

As the group moved on, they came across a ledge that lead to a lower part of the nest. Although hesitant, Diddy jumped off the ledge while allowing Dixie to use her ponytail to slow down the fall. The buzzing noise got louder, Dixie started tapping Diddy on the head. "Hey, I can't be the only one hearing this!"

Diddy sighed. He wanted to run, but it was hard enough walking through the hive as it is. The last thing he needed right now was to be confronted by King Zing. Of course, as fate would have it, a large Zinger was flying above the Kongs. He was twice K. Rool's side, at least that's what Diddy figured.

"Halt!" said the Zinger, "Who said that you could enter my nest?"

"We're not here to cause any trouble," Diddy said sternly. "We just wanna get to Gloomy Gulch, that's all."

"Heh...that's a lot of nerve coming from someone like you!" King Zing said bitterly. "But no matter, I could just take your corpses and feed them to the Neckies!"

"But we're not hurtin' anyone!" Diddy argued.

"Too bad," King Zing replied. "You shouldn't have come here to begin with!"

Without a second thought, King Zing attempted to stab Diddy with his stinger. However, Squawks tackled the Zinger before he caused any major harm.

"QUICK, GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" Squawks yelled. Diddy nodded as he continued to run forward, despite being slower then usual. King Zing shoved Squawks out of the way, he tried going after Diddy again.

Thinking fast, Squawks dived onto King Zing's back before he had a chance to attack. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance in defeating King Zing, but he needed to buy the Kongs some extra time if he wanted them to escape.

 

* * *

 

Diddy was slowing down, his run had already turned into an agonizing walk. Dixie tapped on his head, she had a worried expression on her face. "Maybe you should stop?"

"But if I stop, King Zing'll catch up to us!"

"I'm pretty sure we've lost him already!" Dixie argued. "Now stop walking!"

Diddy rolled his eyes, he headed inside of a nearby cell before collapsing. At least while Squawks was fighting, they wouldn't have to worry about getting spotted.

Dixie jumped off of Diddy's back and rested against the wall. Diddy remained collapsed on the floor. As much as he wanted to move forward, he couldn't bring himself to stand.

"...Say, Diddy?"

"Yeah?"

"What was it that you wanted to tell me before?"

"What?" Diddy asked, though not paying much attention. Dixie furrowed her eyebrows. "You've been tryin' to tell me somethin' since we got through Krem Quay, haven't you?"

"Yeah, but...Are you sure you'd wanna hear it right now?" Diddy asked.

Dixie gave him a deadpan look. "Think of it this way...If you can't tell me now, then what'll happen if one of us dies? You wouldn't be able to say anything then, would you?"

For someone like Dixie to say that, it sounded incredibly morbid. And yet, he'd never actually thought about it that way. He liked to believe that they'd both make it out alive. But if the inevitable DID happen...well, he'd rather not think about it.

"You see...I...I really like you, Dixie," Diddy admitted. Dixie tilted her head giving him a confused look.

"Uh...wha-what I'm tryin' to say is, uh...I've...I've never really felt this way about anyone." Diddy said, trying his best to explain. "I mean...I have friends, b-but I just...feel different around you, y'know?"

Dixie continued to stare at him. For a moment, Diddy expected her to yell at him, but his fears had turned into confusion as Dixie started to laugh.

"You mean to tell me that you got on that roller coaster because of a CRUSH!?"

"Wait...you're not mad?"

"Why would I be? This is one of the funniest things I've ever heard." Dixie crossed her arms, she gave Diddy a patient smile. "I'll tell you what. When we're done with all this, I MIGHT consider becoming your girlfriend"

"O-oh, gees..." Diddy was blushing, he started covering his face. "A-are you sure about this?"

Dixie nodded, she gave him a patient smile. "I've known you for a while now, Diddy. You've been a great friend since we've first met, so I don't mind giving it a try."

Diddy could already feel a weight lifting from his shoulders. He wasn't entirely sure about the difference between a friend and a girlfriend, but even then he was just happy that he could tell Dixie about his feelings...even if it resulted in getting laughed at, he could tell Dixie was being genuine.

 

* * *

 

The Kongs stayed inside the cell for a while. Occasionally, they would take some of the honey off the walls before eating it. They sat up as they heard what sounded like a parrot squawking. As expected, Squawks flew into the cell.

"There you are!" Squawks yelled, "I've been looking all over for you!"

"So what happened to King Zing?" Diddy asked. Squawks smiled proudly as he puffed out his chest. "As it turns out, his stinger was his weak spot. So all I had to do was keep hitting it until he stopped chasing me."

The Kongs gave each other puzzled looks. They weren't sure if Squawks' story was true, but they probably shouldn't question it.

"So now that we're all together again, we should head on over to Gloomy Gulch."

With that said, the Kongs decided to continue on. Not only were they ready to go, their bond had also grown stronger as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a couple more areas...and yet somehow, I'm not even done.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, onto Gloomy Gulch!

Back at the Beach, Cranky was sitting with his elbow on the table. Wrinkly had already dozed off, and Funky was probably walking along the shore with Rambi. For all he knew, Funky was probably looking for his broken plane.

The old ape snorted. If he were the one rescuing Donkey Kong, it would've taken him five hours at most. Heck, for all he knew, Diddy could still be in Crocodile Cauldron at this point. He was actually tempted to go look for him, himself. The old ape jumped as he heard someone knocking at the cabin's door, herolled his eyes. "Door's open!"

He was expecting Funky to walk back inside. However, he was greeted by two Kongs wearing Kremling masks. One of them took off their mask, revealing himself to be Swanky.

"Well, guess who finally decided to show up?" Cranky said, bitterly. "Tell me, did you make as much money as you were expecting?"

"It...didn't really work out for us," Swanky replied.

"At least Diddy was nice enough to stop by," Candy said as she took off her mask. Cranky's eyes widened in shock, "You mean to tell me that they're ALIVE!?"

"Well, yeah," Candy said with certainty. "They looked a little beaten up. But other then that, they were fine."

Cranky couldn't believe what he was hearing. His great-grandson, who he had always seen as a weakling, was still alive. Of course, he liked to think that Dixie did most of the work. But even then, he was just happy to hear that Diddy was doing all right.

"By the way, do you guys know what happened to Squawks?" Cranky asked. "Funky told me he was sending a message to DK, but we haven't seen him since we got here."

"He's with Diddy," Swanky replied. Cranky let out a sigh. Well...As long as they had SOME help, than everything should turn out all right in the end.

 

* * *

 

As the Kongs left the Zinger's nest, they climbed another flight of stairs until they had reached the final layer of Crocodile Isle, Gloomy Gulch. As the name suggested, Gloomy Gulch was full of dead trees and wandering spirits. However, it was also home to many animals as well. Cats, bugs, porcupines...they all made the forest their home. So in an ironic way, this forest was the livliest place that anyone could ever end up in.

In the middle of the forest stood K. Rool's Keep. The Kongs had to move a little farther, it wouldn't be long now before they reunited with DK.

"...Say, Diddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever gotten bad vibes from being somewhere?"

"Why, are ya afraid of ghosts?"

"It's not that," Dixie replied. "It's more like...everything gets more calm before something bad happens, you know?"

"Well, we ARE getting closer to K. Rool's castle," Diddy said with a hint of fear in his voice.

Dixie nodded in understanding. Meanwhile, Squawks was sitting on Dixie's beret. He was keeping an eye out for any attackers that were nearby. But as far as he could tell, there was nothing here he could consider a threat.

Suddenly, a strong wind started blowing through the trees. It was as if something was controlling the weather around them. Perhaps Dixie's instincts weren't too far off?

The group heard what sounded like a Necky's cry, they continued moving at that point. After all, the last thing they needed was an encounter with another Necky. Eventually, the group came across a spider with a pattern on its body ressembling lava. This spider looked familiar for some reason.

"Wait..." Diddy had a thoughtful expression on his face. "You're Rattly's friend...Squitter, right?"

Squitter nodded, he looked relieved to see a familiar face.

"Say...where is Rattly, anyway?" Dixie asked. Squitter shrugged as he shook his head, as if stating that he had no idea what happened to him.

"No worries," Diddy said, "We'll probably find him before we reach K. Rool's Keep."

Squitter smiled, he began to lead the group like he did back in Crocodile Cauldron. For Diddy, it was hard to believe how far he had gotten. Surely, none of the Kongs back home would've believed that he made it through Crocodile Isle and survived. As for Dixie, he was sure that her family was proud of her in some way or another. In fact, her sister would probably brag on about her for months.

Dixie looked up at the trees. For a moment, she could've sworn she heard another Necky's cry. It could've been her imagination, but that didn't make things less terrifying.

 

* * *

 

As the group moved on until they made it to an abandoned town. There were trees and mushrooms growing out of the houses, the only animals living here were the Neckies. But even then. only half of the Neckies there were alive. The Kongs walked towards the tree growing in the middle of town. There, they spotted Rattly hanging off one of the branches. Squitter gasped, he ran towards the tree thinking that his friend was injured.

"Oh, hello," Rattly greeted, acknowledging the group. "It'sss niccce to sssee you, again."

"Oh, thank goodness," Diddy said with a sigh. "I'm just glad you two are still alive."

"What kind of place is this, anyway?" Dixie added. Rattly frowned, he began to rub the back of his head with the tail. "Let'sss sssee...how ssshould I put thisss?"

"This used to be a Kremling village at one point," Squawks said. "These Kremlings tried to overthrow K. Rool's family, but as you can imagine, it didn't work too well."

"They had no choiccce but to leave the island," Rattly added. "The lucky onesss were able to essscape to the Northern Kremisssphere...but as for the unlucky onesss, they became...sssacrificccesss to Kerosssene."

The Kongs glanced at each other with a worried expression, "So were those Neckies sacrifices too?"

"Sssuprisingly not," Rattly said. "Kerosssene only takesss Kongsss and Kremlingsss. Thisss jussst happensss to be where Neckiesss like to gather...whether they're alive or not."

"So this town's more like a resting ground then anything, right?" Diddy asked.

"Exactly," Squawks replied. "But from the looksss of it, thessse Neckiesss don't look very hossstile."

Diddy nodded in agreement. From the looks of it, the Neckies here were more curious then they were hostile. Otherwise, they would've attacked the Kongs already.

"Do you think they're watching us for a reason?" Dixie asked. Rattly began to smile sheepishly. "Actually...there'sss someone that'sss been waiting for you."

"Really?" Diddy tilted his head in confusion. "K. Rool wouldn't be down here already, would he?"

Rattly shook his head. "No...But do you remember when you two were on that galleon sssome time ago?"

"You mean when that bird tried to kill me?" Diddy asked bitterly. "Why do you ask?"

Suddenly, the wind started to grow violently. It felt as if the Kongs could fly away if they tried to jump. But as the wind started to die down, the group was face-to face with a large Necky. His skin was a pale blue, his feathers had a green tint to them. The Necky was smiling. It wasn't a menacing smile, but it wasn't a very pleasant smile either. If anything, it looked more...bittersweet.

"'tis been a while...hasn't it, lad?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, repeat bosses!
> 
> ...Though to be fair, I always thought it was cool how Krow just sort of comes back from the dead.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say about this chapter...except we're almost at the end.
> 
> It's a little hard for me to believe, actually.

Diddy couldn't believe what he was seeing, this was the exact same bird that tried to kill him before. He may be dead, but that didn't make it any less surprising.

"Wha''s wit' that look on yer face?" Krow teased. "Ye look like ye're about t' pass out."

"We thought you DIED," Dixie said bluntly.

"I AM dead," Krow replied. "I jus' haven't been able t' move on, yet."

"So then...what DO you want?" Diddy asked. "Are you gonna try to eat me again?"

Krow let out a hoarse laugh, startling Diddy in the process.

"Does it LOOK like I'd be able t' eat anythin'!? I be dead as a doorknob!" Krow started to calm himself, he ruffled his feathers. "Wha' I DO wants from ye be one more fight...at least 'til th' sun comes up."

"But why?"

"'cause I know yer journey hasn't been an easy one," Krow replied. "'n if I were t' fight ye right now, I could see how much stronger ye've gotten since then. Jus' think of it as a way t' see how far ye've gone."

Diddy looked back at Dixie with a curious look. "What do you think we should do?"

"...Well if it's to help him move on, I say we should fight him," Dixie said. "Besides, it could be sunrise at any moment."

"All right," Diddy said as he turned his attention towards Krow. "We'll fight you, but we're not gonna go easy on you."

"Fair enough," Krow said while opening his wings. "Jus' give it yer best shot!"

Krow flew high into the air, following him were the group of dead Neckies. Once they were above the trees, all of the Neckies started diving after the Kongs. Diddy jumped out of the way while Dixie started jumping on their heads. Once the Neckies were knocked out, Dixie managed to cling onto Krow's belt. However, Squawks wasn't able to stay on Dixie's head and flew off. Squitter managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

Meanwhile, Diddy was looking for something to hit Krow with. There weren't any eggs lying around like last time, so he'd have to look for something similar he could use. He eventually stumbled upon a barrel. While he wasn't as strong as DK, he was certain that he could throw it hard enough to do some damage to Krow.

Dixie tried to pull against Krow's belt in hopes that she could steer him. Nothing happened, as Krow started to dive towards Diddy's direction. Dixie panicked, she clinged onto Krow's neck. "LOOK OUT!"

With no time to think it over, Diddy picked up the barrel and waited for Krow to fly towards him. The Necky had his talons open, but his attempt to grab Diddy was in vein as the monkey threw the barrel at his chest. With Krow dazed, Dixie steered him towards the ground in hopes of knocking him out.

Krow stayed down for a moment, but he was far from done. He shook Dixie off his back before taking off again.

Dixie landed face-first in front of Diddy, the young monkey ran towards her and offered to give her his hand. "You OK?"

"I'm fine," Dixie said as Diddy helped her stand up. As they watched Krow fly towards them, the Kongs began to split. They needed to find another barrel, and fast.

Diddy ran along the ground while Dixie climbed along the houses. Eventually, Dixie found another barrel sitting on the roof...She wasn't sure how or why there was a barrel on the roof, but she had to make it work. Krow dived towards her, she lifted the barrel above her head. But as Krow ran into the barrel, he knocked Dixie off the roof. The ape had little time to react before she hit the ground. Nonetheless, she kept going.

The fight continued on throughout the night, and while the Kongs continued to grow more exhausted, Krow kept going without a scratch. Perhaps this was what it was like to be a ghost? Because as far as the Kongs were concerned, Krow hadn't taken any injuries at all.

Eventually, the Kongs couldn't fight anymore. They stood there, panting like a couple of thirsty dogs. Krow sighed as he looked up, he saw that the sky was starting to turn brighter. And as it turned brighter, he could already feel himself slowly fading away.

"All right, ye two," Krow said as he folded his wings back, "that's enough!"

"...So that's it?" Diddy asked, "You're not gonna fight anymore?"

"I couldn't fight even if I wanted t'," Krow argued. "Besides, I be startin' t' fade away."

After he had said that, the Necky showed off one of his wings. The ends of his primary feathers were faded, and was moving slowly towards his secondaries. Diddy stood there silently, he was unsure of what to do now.

"Is there a way we could help you?" Dixie asked.

Krow shook his head. "I only wanted t' fight ye 'til sunrise, 'n that's exactly wha' I got...But I shall say this, ye're nah as lily-livered as I thought ye were. I dunno if it'll be enough t' defeat K. Rool, but I be sure somethin' good'll come out o' this."

"...So you're saying we still have a chance?" Diddy asked excitedly. Krow replied with a shrug. "'tis a wee chance, but still a chance nonetheless."

"But what if I can't beat him?"

"Well...then thar's always th' ocean."

Before Diddy could ask anything else, Krow finally evaporated along with the other dead Neckies. He wasn't sure about what Krow said when he mentioned the ocean. Did that mean to send K. Rool to the ocean? Or maybe Krow was talking about his body after what happened back at the galleon? For all he knew, it was probably just nonsense.

"So now that he's gone, I think we can finally start wrapping up this whole quest," Squawks said as he returned to sitting on Dixie's beret.

"I agree," Rattly said as he fell onto Squitter's abdomen. "We've done all that we could do for Krow, ssso now the only thing we can do now isss sssave your uncle."

Diddy nodded in understanding as the group headed towards K. Rool's Keep. With all the other obsticals out of the way, all the Kongs had to worry about now was getting past K. Rool. They were only one step further from rescuing DK.

 

* * *

 

Sitting on top of K. Rool's Keep was the Flying Krock, it was resting on the floor like an actual crocodile. Sitting inside the Flying Krock was K. Rool, who was holding out a telescope. He was so high up, the air around him was freezing. And yet, he stayed still. He wanted to make sure those Kongs made it out of that forest alive. And if not...than hey, it wouldn't be that big of a problem for him.

"Did you see anything, yet?" Screech asked, sitting on a nearby bramble.

"Patience, Screech!" K. Rool hissed. "Those Kongs should be coming up any second now."

Screech nodded, though he had a doubtful look on his face. "What if this plan doesn't work?"

"It'll work, Screech," K. Rool assured him. "Besides, do you really think a couple of kids would stand a chance against Kerozene?"

"Not necessarily, but you know those brats are a lot smarter then they look."

"Well if worse comes to worse, you'll have to kill them instead!" K. Rool said jokingly. He continued to look down at the forest below him. Eventually, he spotted the Kongs trying to get through some trees. The Kremling King smiled, he put the telescope in his coat and headed over to the Flying Krock. "Go make sure Kerozene wakes up, I'll be keeping an eye out for those brats!"

"Yes, sir!" Screech said as he flew out of the vines and headed towards Crocodile Cauldron. For all the trouble that K. Rool is going through, it would've been easier to kill the Kongs right then and there. But of course, he knew better then to question the king. In the end, those Kongs were going to die anyway.

 

* * *

 

 

A couple of hours had gone by, though to Diddy it felt more like a couple of minutes. After all that he had gone through, after all the warnings he'd been given, he was finally standing in front of K. Rool's Keep. Dixie was standing next to him, she looked as bewildered as he was. Meanwhile, Squitter was already at the entrance. He was spinning a rope from his threads so the Kongs could easily climb upwards.

"So this is it, huh?" Diddy asked. Dixie replied with a nod. "It looks like it."

Diddy sighed, he gave Dixie a concerned look. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. Dixie smiled patiently as she grabbed his hand. "Are you nervous?"

"...Yeah?"

"Well, we're almost done with this whole thing," Dixie said while trying to reassure him. "And once we're done, we can finally go home...OK?"

Diddy nodded. After all the trouble he'd gone through to get here, he knew there was no turning back. And as long as DK was safe, then that's all that mattered.

The group made their way over to the entrance, the time had finally teach K. Rool a lesson once and for all.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well would you look at that, there's roughly 2 chapters after this one.
> 
> I know I've said this before while I was doing the other DKC novelization, but I didn't really think I'd get this far. But I'll save my words for another time.

K. Rool's Keep was much bigger than Diddy had ever imagined. He walked along the ice-cold stairs with the others following behind him. Obviously, the castle was crawling with Kremlings...and yet, they didn't do anything to stop him. In fact, some of them even gave the Kongs a sympathetic look. It was as if they wanted to warn the Kongs about what would happen if they kept going.

"How much further is it until we reach the top?" Dixie asked Rattly.

"Hopefully not too long," Rattly replied. "There ssshould be an elevator here, sssomewhere."

"Elevator?" Diddy lifted an eyebrow. "Why would a castle need an elevator?"

"Becaussse," Rattly said, "Do you really think K. Rool would WANT to climb the stairsss."

"...Good point." Diddy said, nodding. He wouldn't want to climb a thousand stairs, so of course K. Rool wouldn't want to do this either.

The group explored the castle some more. Most of the rooms were closed off, as it seemed like the Kremlings didn't want them to snoop around. In addition to this, the halls smelled like dead fish. Diddy would've held his hat over his nose if he could, if only he knew where his hat went...

Eventually, the Kongs found the elevator. The size of it looked big enough to hold two large Kremlings, there was also a crank next to it. Squitter held onto the crank while Squawks flew onto the ground.

"I guess this is it," Squawks said, "You're finally going to rescue DK!"

"Y-yeah..." Diddy nodded, though he still had a nervous look on his face. Dixie was worried, she started squeezing his hand. "Are you scared?"

"...Yeah."

Dixie nodded in response. Like Diddy, she knew there was a possibility that they would perish. But at the very least, she wasn't going to let her best friend get killed. They had already gotten this far, and it was too late to turn back now.

"We really appreciate your guys' help," Dixie said as she looked at the rest of the group. "We'll meet you guys back at the beach, OK?"

"You got it," Squawks replied. "Good luck rescuing DK up there!"

Once they had finished saying their good-byes, Squitter began to spin the crank. As the elevator moved upwards, Dixie continued to hold Diddy's hand. Fighting K. Rool and rescuing DK would not be an easy task, but as long as they were together, then everything will turn out all right...Or at least that's what the Kongs wanted to believe.

 

* * *

 

Once the elevator reached its highest point, Squitter and Rattly began to follow Squawks out of the castle. Once again, the Kongs were on their own.

The first area they stumbled upon was the dungeon. From there, they could see that it was empty. Obviously, DK wasn't around, so they had to keep searching. They came across K. Rool's throne room, yet K. Rool himself wasn't around either. The Kongs kept walking through the castle until they reach the highest room they could find. Off to the side of the room were a couple of rusty cannons, along with some cannonballs to go with them. In the center of the room, however, was DK. He was tied up with a tired expression on his face, But aside from that he appeared to be just fine. Diddy crept towards him, he started to shake. "...DK?"

"Wha-?" DK was startled, he looked at Diddy with a shocked expression. "How...How did you get here?"

"It's a long story," Dixie replied. "BUT we finally made it."

"Uh...L-look, I appreciate your guys' help," DK said in a worried tone, "But neither of you should've come in the first place!"

"...Wh-what are you saying?" Diddy asked in a confused tone, "We came all this way just to save you, and you're just gonna tell us to get lost?"

"You don't understand," DK yelled. "Y'see, K. Rool wants to-"

"Oh, would you look at that...it seems like we're out of time!"

The ceiling above the Kongs had opened up, revealing that DK had been hanging out of an airship. Inside the airship was K. Rool, he was pulling DK upwards while smiling at the duo below. "What? Did you really think it'd be THAT easy?"

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" Diddy asked, annoyed.

"Because," K. Rool replied, "with you two out of the way, I can finally take over the island...But don't feel bad, pipsqueak. At least you got to see your miserable uncle one last time!"

Once K. Rool pulled DK into the ship, he closed the door below him and started to take off, leaving the Kongs by themselves once again.

"What, now?" Dixie asked in a worried tone. Without warning, the ground began to tremble. Both Kongs were knocked off of their feet, whatever was going on, they knew it couldn't be good.

* * *

 

Crocodile Isle was trembling, most residents of the island were running around like ants trying to avoid getting crushed. However, the area that took the most damage was Crocodile Cauldron. Slowly, a large crocodillian emerged from the volcano, breaking the entrance in the process. He was bigger than the island itself, his scales were as bright as the lava he came out of. He turned towards K. Rool's keep and knocked the top off of it, revealing the primates inside. He began to let out a hoarse cackle.

"I bet ye weren't expectin' t' hear from me again, were ye?" the Kremling's voice boomed. "'tis me, yer ole friend Kerozene!"

"Y-you're the one from the volcano, aren't you?" Diddy asked as he tried to stand. Kerozene let out a booming laugh, causing the Kongs to instinctively cover their ears.

"I guess ye're nah as stupid as I thought ye were," Kerozene said as he pulled a Kleever from out of the ocean. "Unfortunately fer ye, I've come t' claim yer souls again...'n this time, I'm nah lettin' ye two go!"

"SO WHY DID YOU WAIT UNTIL NOW TO COLLECT THEM!?" Dixie yelled angrily.

"Because," Kerozene replied. "I 'ave a...nasty habit when it comes t' playin' wit' me grub. I haven't gotten a sacrifice in a LONG time, so why nah jus' savor th' moment? Besides, one o' ye's jus' goin' t' end up as a livin' battery anyway...So why nah use yer souls t' keep th' island afloat?"

Without a second thought, Kerozene slashed at the Kongs with his Kleever. Diddy managed to jump out of the way, but Dixie was nearly cut in half. Diddy looked at her, as if his life depended on her. "W-what do we do now!?"

"I-I don't know," Dixie replied. "I've never fought something like this before!"

Kerozene started to breathe fire, hoping that it would burn the Kongs alive. The duo ran towards the back of the room, they hid behind the cannons to avoid getting burned. Diddy started to recall when he helped DK fight K. Rool during his first adventure, he remembered having to use a cannon in order to help defeat K. Rool. He wasn't sure if this would have any effect on Kerozene, but it has to work in some degree...right?

"I-I think I have an idea," Diddy told Dixie. "If we use these cannons, we might be able to knock Kerozene into the ocean!"

"Are you sure this will work?" Dixie asked.

"We don't have any other options," Diddy replied. "So it's gotta work!"

When the flames finally died down, Diddy started charging at Kerozene. "I'll keep him distracted, you take care of the cannons!"

Dixie nodded in understanding, she ran towards the cannonballs and lifted one over her head. They were heavy, but she didn't seem to care. She watched carefully as Kerozene continued to swing at Diddy. For someone as scared as he is, he could certainly take care of himself. Dixie placed the cannonball into the cannon, she grabbed the rope sticking out of it and pulled. The cannon barely missed Diddy's head while it dug into Kerozene's chest. This managed to throw off his balance, but he slammed his fists against the castle to keep himself stable. "Did ye really think that would stop ME? Ye two oughtta try harder than that!"

"Keep goin', Dixie!" Diddy yelled as Kerozene started attacking him again. This time, the giant Kremling had him dodge fireballs. Some of them even managed to singe his fur. Dixie made her way over to the cannonballs and grabbed another one. Slowly, she made her way over to the cannon and threw it in there. When she fired it, Kerozene was hit in the snout. This knocked him back more than it did the first time. Diddy looked back at her, this time he looked more hopeful. "I think you might've actually got him that time!"

"Or so ye think!" Kerozene yelled as he swung his fist against Diddy, knocking him into a wall before he dropped to the floor. Diddy tried to sit up, though he was completely stunned from the attack. Kerozene lifted the sword over his head, "King or nah, ye had no business comin' here in th' first place! Now prepare t' meet yer fate!"

Dixie screamed, as she had no time to grab another cannonball. Thinking fast, he held onto the rope while stuffing herself into the cannon. Diddy looked back at her with a terrified expression, he spoke quietly. "Y-You wouldn't..."

Before Kerozene could bring his sword down, Dixie pulled the rope on the cannon and hurled herself towards Kerozene. Time seemingly slowed down for Diddy, he watched helplessly as Dixie managed to hit Kerozene in the chest. The large kremling began to fall backwards, taking Dixie along with him.

With K. Rool gone and Kerozene defeated, Diddy was all alone. He should've been crying...But instead, he couldn't help but let out a small laugh, he couldn't believe how foolish he was. He thought that he would've been the one to save DK, he thought that he would've gone back home as a hero. But not only was DK gone, Dixie was gone as well. How was Diddy supposed to be a king when he couldn't even save the Kongs closest to him? How could he even show his face when nobody saw him as a king to begin with? Without anywhere else to go, he was just stuck. At this point, he wasn't even sure if this adventure was worth it in the end.

Within a moment, Diddy could hear squawking outside. He could see Squawks flying into the castle, he was carrying Dixie along with him. When her feet finally touched the floor, she had the most confused look on her face. She looked as if she had gone through Hell itself, and given what just happened, she probably was for a brief moment.

Immediately, Dixie's first instinct was to check up on Diddy. She grabbed onto his face and started looking for any injuries, "A-are you OK? Can you stand up?"

At this point, Diddy couldn't take it anymore. He held onto Dixie and started crying his eyes out. He no longer cared if he was the hero, nor did he care about how pathetic he looked in front of Dixie. She was alive, and that's all that mattered to him.

The Kongs stayed like this for a while. Diddy's crying had been reduced to sniffling while Dixie continued to hold him. Once he'd finally calmed down, Squawks started to speak.

"You know...I could still take you over to K. Rool's ship if you want, but we'd better do it quick before he gets to Donkey Kong Island!"

"That sounds like a good idea," Dixie said smiling, she looked down at Diddy with a determined look on her face. "What do you say, Diddy? Ready to give it one more shot?"

Another chance at rescuing DK? Given what just happened, Diddy had nothing to lose. He wiped the tears off his face and stood up. He had one more shot at this, and there was no way he'd screw it up again. He was going to save DK, no matter what happens next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...that was a fun chapter.
> 
> I should mention that Kerozene shows up in the GBA version, but not the SNES version (even though this story's based primarily on the latter).
> 
> The SNES version just has a cutscene where DK gets taken away, so why not combine this and Kerozene's boss fight together?


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, time to fight K. Rool after all that's happened.

The Flying Krock was far away from Crocodile Isle at this point, it was heading towards Donkey Kong Island.

Squawks was holding onto Dixie's shirt while Diddy had his tail wrapped around her ankle. Despite the awkward position the group was in, they were only concerned about getting onto K. Rool's airship.

"How much further until we get there?" Dixie asked.

"Hopefully, not too far!" Squawks replied. The parrot flapped his wings as quickly as possible, his heart was racing as if his life depended on it. He looked down at Dixie. "Now...should anything happen to me, you'll have to bring Diddy to that ship yourself, all right?"

"But I can't fly!" Dixie argued.

"I know that," Squawks responded. "But given where we are right now, you shouldn't have a problem with carrying him that far!"

As squawks flew, Diddy was watching the ocean below him. Part of him wished that he could fly already, that way he wouldn't have to rely Squawks or Dixie just to get somewhere. But for the time being, this was the closest he would ever get to it. He looked back at Crocodile Isle, he could see something brown and red coming towards them. He tensed up as soon as he realized it was Screech, "WATCH OUT!"

"WHAT?"

Screech knocked into Squawks like a bullet, causing him to drop Dixie in the process. As instructed, Dixie began to use her ponytail to glide through the air. She was making her way closer to the Flying Krock with each passing minute.

Meanwhile, Squawks managed to regain his balance. He could see that Screech was about to go after the Kongs, next. Swiftly, the parrot flew as fast as he could, he flew into Screech so he wouldn't cause any harm. The two of them started falling towards a smaller island. But as long as the Kongs kept going, then it didn't matter to Squawks. Should things go well, they'll see each other back on Donkey Kong Island.

 

* * *

 

While Dixie wasn't sure if she could glide long enough to reach the airship, she was able to keep going. Eventually, the Kongs were able to land on top of the airship. They made their way over to the hatch, though they hesitated for a moment before opening it. Diddy was the first one to head inside, Dixie jumped in afterwards while closing the hatch above her.

The Flying Krock was suprisingly spacious on the inside. From what Diddy could tell, he landed inside some sort of storage room. Off to the side was a dresser that contained nothing but costumes, some of which hung out of the drawers. On the opposite side was a box full of broken video game controllers, some of which were shattered beyond repair.

The Kongs jumped as they heard noises coming from the cockpit, It sounded like a cannon was shot, followed by cackling. The Kongs raced to the other room to see what was going on, they could see K. Rool standing on DK's back. The croc pointed a blunderbuss towards the ape's face.

"It's been fun, DK...But But I'm afraid the island has no need for YOU, anymore!"

"So...you're just going to kill everyone off then?" DK asked, though he sounded like he had the wind knocked out of him.

"Well...I MIGHT keep the babies around. But as far as I'm concerned, you meddling apes are NO MORE!"

But before K. Rool could pull the trigger, Diddy ran towards him and tackled his back. "STOP!"

K. Rool tumbled forward, he landed upside down against the wall with a dazed look on his face. While K. Rool was stunned, Diddy started pulling at the ropes around DK's body.

"Y-You're alive?" DK asked with a bewildered look on his face. "But how?"

"It's a long story," Dixie said as she raced towards DK, only to be stopped by a cannonball flying by her.

"I don't know how you two managed to get past Kerozene," K. Rool grumbled as he rolled himself back onto his feet, "But I'll make sure NEITHER of you live to tell the tale!"

K. Rool pointed his blunderbuss towards Diddy before shooting, causing the monkey to immediately jump off of DK's back. While K. Rool was distracted, Dixie made her way over to the controls. She grabbed onto what looked like a steering wheel and started turning it. It worked similar to a joystick on a controller. She turned the airship so that it would head back towards Crocodile Isle, but this caused everyone else to fall over.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU SNOT-NOSED BRAT!?" K. Rool yelled as he stood back up and pointed his blunderbuss towards Dixie The young ape screamed as K. Rool managed to knock her out of the chair. As K. Rool attempted to fire at her again, Diddy jumped onto his back again. He attempted to grab the blunderbuss for himself.

"GET OFF ME, YOU PIPSQUEAK!" K. Rool yelled as he slammed Diddy into a wall...Only to have Dixie throw a cannonball at him. The fight would go on for a while. Every time K. Rool knocked down one of the Kongs, the other Kong would take over and attack him. It was as if he was stuck in some sort of fighting loop, but even then he knew those Kongs would tire themselves eventually.

While K. Rool was distracted, DK started wriggling through the ropes. He couldn't just let that croc pummel those kids like these, he needed to do something. His heart nearly dropped when K. Rool finally threw both Kongs against the wall like a pair of rag dolls. With the duo dazed, K. Rool pointed his Blunderbuss at them. "Say your prayers, Kongs!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" DK yelled as he finally broke free from the rope. He ran towards K. Rool and punched him. He punched him so hard that he flew into the steering wheel and out of the window.

Of course...the good news was that K. Rool was sent flying back to Crocodile Isle, but the bad news was that the Flying Krock started to dive toward it. With no way to control the airship, DK grabbed the younger Kongs and headed towards the storage room.

 

* * *

 

Ever since Kerozene had emerged, the island had been experiencing tremors. These tremors would range from a mild shaking to a raging earthquake. Because of this, Kremlings began to evacuate the island. They knew it was no longer safe.

Back at the beach, Cranky had been pacing around the shack for a while...So much so that a path was being formed underneath him. Wrinkly, Swanky, and Candy sat inside, watching as the old ape kept moving.

"Would you calm down, Cranky?" Wrinkly asked, "You're making us all nervous."

"Yeah? And you should be!" Cranky argued. "Besides, this island could fall into the ocean any minute now and we have NO idea where Funky ran off to!"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll turn up eventually," Wrinkly said in a calm tone. Cranky shook his head as he continued to pace around the shack, only to be stopped when the island shook again.

Moments later, Funky was seen running alongside Rambi. They were pushing a motorboat along the sand, though Funky couldn't help but call out to everyone. "YO GUYS, LOOK WHAT I FOUND!"

"Well it's about time you showed up!" Cranky yelled bitterly, "I was starting to think you were dead!"

"Nah, dude...I was just lookin' for a way to get us home," Funky replied. "It's not gonna be as fast as the plane, but it should be fast enough to get us all home within a day or so."

"...That's not fast enough!" Cranky complained. "I'd rather go down with the island!"

"Suit yourself," Funky said with a shrug. "But unless an airplane magically shows up outta nowhere, this is all that we've got!"

As if on cue, the Flying Krock started to flying into the island. From what the Kongs could tell, it would've landed somewhere near Krem Quay. Cranky looked at Funky with a smug look on his face. "You were saying?"

"Hey...if you wanna go get it yourself, then by all means go ahead," Funky said while crossing his arms. "But either way it's probably been destroyed."

While Cranky and Funky continued to bicker, Rambi made his way onto the boat. It was surprisingly durable, especially for something as heavy as he was. And with a way to get back home, all the Kongs needed now was to wait for Diddy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that, there's one more world to explore...honestly though, I'd feel bad if I didn't add it in somehow.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, everyone...the last chapter of this story.

...For some reason, Diddy had woken up on the floor...Or was it the wall? Either way, it didn't matter. He was in the back of the Flying Krock, where Clothes and gaming controllers were thrown around haphazardly. Besides Diddy were the other Kongs. DK started rubbing his head as he sat up. As for Dixie, she looked around with a bewildered look on her face. She looked just as confused as Diddy was.

"So what happened?" Diddy asked, gaining the attention of both Kongs. DK looked down at Diddy with a stern look on his face, "I should be askin' you the same thing!"

"Whaddaya mean?"

"I mean look at you!" DK yelled as he started looking over Diddy's arms. "You've got all these scrapes and bruises on you, yet you both act like nothing happened...And what happened to your hat?"

"Uh..."

It was at this point that DK began to smirk, he pulled Diddy in for a hug. "I missed ya, Little Buddy!"

"...I missed ya too, DK!" Diddy said as he returned the hug. DK looked back at Dixie and patted her on the head. "Thanks for keepin' an eye on him."

Dixie smiled as she was about to speak, but was interrupted by an earthquake. The Kongs held onto DK for dear life until the earthquake vanished. Once everything settled down, DK made his way over to the hatch and broke it open.

The Kongs noticed that they were inside a jungle, yet this jungle didn't look anything like the jungles on their island For instance, the trees surrounding the trio were much darker than the ones back home. Not only that, but the air here was much more humid...In fact, it was probably as humid here as it was in Krem Quay. In the distance, there was a pink and blue beam that was absorbed into the ceiling.

"Where are we?" Diddy asked as he hopped out of the airship.

"I think we're in the Lost World," Dixie replied as she hopped out afterwards. "That's the only place we HAVEN'T been to."

"Wherever we are, we should probably start lookin' around," DK replied. "Besides, I don't think anyone's gonna come after us while we're here."

With that said, DK allowed both Kongs to climb onto his back. The newly formed trio began heading towards the beam. They knew it wasn't an exit, but it had to be worth checking out before they leave the island for good.

 

* * *

 

As the trio explored further into the jungle, they ran into many different ruins. They were either crumbled towers or fallen statues. But either way, it was interesting to look at.

"So why do you think K. Rool's as harsh as he is?"

"Whaddaya mean?" Dixie asked.

"Well...a king's s'posed to be nice to his people, right?" Diddy asked. "So why is it that K. Rool treats everyone like dirt?"

"Not all kings are gonna be the same way, Diddy," DK said sternly. "You and I were chosen for the role. But in most cases, kings and queens are sort of...born into the role. If we did the same thing at home, your mom would've been a queen."

"So in other words, the Kremlings were stuck with K. Rool whether they liked it or not..."

"Exactly," DK replied. "I dunno how or why K. Rool's the way he is...But who knows? Maybe the Kremlings here could find a better life one day."

Diddy nodded. As scary as this adventure was, some of the Kremlings here seemed like genuinely nice people...Or at least they were towards each other. Perhaps if things were different, the two tribes could actually get along with each other.

The trio moved further and further into the jungle. Eventually, they stumbled upon what looked like an island sitting in the middle of a lake. The island had an entrance in the shape of a crocodile's head. The croc's mouth was wide open, like it was expecting some-sort of meal. DK jumped onto the water and started to swim over. At the very least, the trio needed to see where the beam was coming from.

As DK kept swimming, Dixie noticed a shadow swimming in the water. It looked fat enough to be a walrus, and yet it swam like a crocodile. Either way, she couldn't help but worry about it.

When the Kongs finally made it inside the island, they could see the beam coming from an altar. In front of the altar stood two Kremling statues, each one carried a sword in its hand.

"Looks like the beam's coming from underground," Diddy said as he leapt off of DK's back. "Whaddaya think it's here for?"

"Maybe it's just here for decoration?" DK asked.

"Actually, this is what keeps Crocodile Isle from sinking in the first place!"

The Kongs jumped as they turned around. At the island's entrance was K. Rool, who was covered in seaweed. He was holding his blunderbuss like he was ready to hit something.

"I thought I knocked you into the ocean," DK yelled. "How'd you even get here?"

"I'm a crocodile, you moron!" K. Rool barked. "And as for the beam, Kerozene needed sacrifices in order to keep this island afloat. But since he never got his meal, it looks like this island's done for."

"W-wait, so this island's sinking!?" Diddy yelled.

"And the funny thing about it is that it's all your fault," K. Rool said with a chuckle. "But hey...if I'm going down, then I'm taking all of you with me!"

K. Rool pointed his blunderbuss towards the Kongs, causing all three of them to run in different directions. The Kremling snarled as he continued to shoot at the Kongs. "STAY STILL, YOU MANGY BABOONS!"

The first Kong that K. Rool managed to knock down was Dixie, he knocked her down as she was gliding above him. The next Kong to get knocked down was DK. K. Rool managed to hit him in the stomach, which knocked the wind out of him. With both Kongs down, all that was left standing was Diddy. K. Rool was standing over him like a madman that was about to kick a puppy. And knowing K. Rool, Diddy wouldn't put it past him.

"Well, now...It looks like you've found yourself in quite the predicament," K. Rool said with a wide grin. "I didn't actually think you'd ever make it this far...In fact, I didn't think you'd be the one to sink my ship all those months ago...And yet here you are, sinking my island. I've under-estimated you for TOO long, Pipsqueak!" K. Rool pointed his blunderbuss towards Diddy's face, causing the monkey to flinch. "Say your prayers!"

Just as K. Rool was about to pull the trigger, the island began to tremble again. Not only did this cause K. Rool to lose his footing, this also caused him to shoot a cannonball into the altar. The island started to shake even worse than before. While K. Rool couldn't move, Diddy began making his way over to the other two Kongs. "C'MON, GUYS! WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!"

DK groaned as tried to sit up against the wall. It was hard enough to walk with the wind knocked out of him, the fact that the island was crumbling apart just made things worse.

Dixie sat up, she had a worried look on her face. "H-how are we s'posed to get out? W-well be pulled underwater b-by the time we leave."

Diddy nodded, knowing that there wasn't much they could do. They suddenly heard something blow up, the trees from Gloomy Gulch began to fall into the Lost World. Diddy noticed how some of them were floating in the water, he gestured for DK and Dixie to leave the island and grab onto the floating trees. They could already see that the water level was rising.

The Kongs grabbed onto the nearest log they could find, they watched as the island continued to crumble. The broken rides of Krazy Kremland had completely fallen apart, the trees that made up the forests in Gloomy Gulch were now surrounding the Kongs. As or K. Rool's Keep, it was nowhere to be found.

After a while, the Kongs were surrounded by dead trees, lost animals, and confused Kremlings. While one could say that this was a victory for the Kongs, Diddy couldn't help but feel guilty about all this. His only major goal was to save DK, and yet all these Kremlings were stuck without a home.

"Do you think we should take these guys back to our island?" Diddy asked.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," DK replied. "Besides, I'm sure their friends'll start lookin' for them soon."

Dixie turned her head as she heard a motorboat drive by, she tapped DK's arm. "Do you guys hear that?"

DK looked around, he could hear the noise getting closer and closer until he spotted Funky driving the boat. Sitting on the boat with him were the other Kongs, as well as Rambi, Squitter, Rattly, and a few other critters that managed to climb onto the boat.

"So I see you guys managed to save DK after all," Funky said proudly, "Nicely done."

"Well, I would've done a MUCH better job if I was the one rescuing DK," Cranky argued. He looked at Diddy before he continued to speak. This time, he actually sounded proud. "However...I will admit that Diddy has a lot more potential than we realized. With that said, I'm sure he'll make a fine King when he grows up."

"But what about the Kremlings?" Diddy asked, "Will they be OK?"

"They'll be fine," Cranky replied as he held his cane out towards Diddy. "But for now, this calls for a celebration!"

Diddy grabbed onto the cane before Cranky pulled him into the boat. Dixie would be the next one to get on, she immediately ran towards Diddy and twirled him around. Needless to say, she was happy that their whole journey came to an end.

Finally, DK managed to climb onto the boat. He patted the duo's heads like the proud uncle that he was. With nothing left here for the Kongs, it was finally time to go home.

 

* * *

 

An hour had passed, K. Rool had finally poked his head from under the water. When he looked around, there was no Kong in sight...nor were there any Kremlings, here.

Not only was K. Rool left without a home, he was also left without his fellow Kremlings. Chances are, they've already headed off to look for another place to live...Not that he could blame them, he'd do the same thing.

Going to Donkey Kong Island was no longer an option for K. Rool. If he was going to get back at the Kongs, we would have to look for another place to live for the time being.

...Well, whatever. Not only was he going to go after DK next time, he'll have to go after Diddy as well. Those Kongs had to be destroyed, and nobody was going to stop him!

 

* * *

 

A week had passed since DK was rescued. Ever since the Kongs came back home, Diddy had been getting a lot of praise. In fact, many of the older Kongs began treating him the same way they treated DK. But even with all the praise, Diddy was just happy that he didn't have to worry about K. Rool anymore.

It was night time, DK was sitting on the porch with a lantern sitting at his left. On his right, Diddy was fast asleep. DK had an arm wrapped around him. No matter how old he had gotten, Diddy was still DK's kid. And he couldn't be any prouder of him...Still, if it weren't for him, DK wouldn't be sitting back on his porch. Both Kongs would've been dead, and the island would've been over-run with Kremlings. So the fact that a couple of kids had the courage to get through Crocodile Isle was amazing to him.

"Hey, DK!"

DK looked down, he could see Dixie standing in front of the ladder. "What's the matter, kid? Can't sleep?"

"...Not really."

"Then come on up," DK said, "There's plenty of room for you up here!"

Dixie nodded as she started climbing up the ladder, she sat down next to Diddy. The Kongs sat there quietly for a moment as they looked at the empty sky in the distance. It was strange to see Crocodile Isle no longer loom over them like a threat. And yet, with none of the Kremlings being able to attack, the Kongs no longer had to worry about getting attacked by them. It was strange, to say the least.

"Say, Dixie?"

"Yeah?"

"You and Diddy are a couple now...right?"

"Well...yeah," Dixie gave DK a worried look. "Why, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," DK replied. "But I've been thinking...If something like this were to ever happen to Diddy, I might not always be around. Know what I mean?"

Dixie nodded in understanding.

"Well...if anything DOES happen to me, then can you promise me something?"

Once again, Dixie nodded. DK continued to speak.

"...If something ever happens, will you promise to take care of Diddy for me?" DK asked. "I know it's asking a lot from you, but I know you'll keep a good eye on him."

"Of course," Dixie replied. "I promise I won't let anything happen to him."

"That's good to hear," DK said, smiling. "But hey, after what happened with K. Rool, you guys probably aren't goin' anywhere like that for a LONG time!"

"Nope," Dixie said while smiling back, "Not for a while."

The Kongs continued to sit there for a little while longer, it was great to finally be back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh, I can't believe I've been updating this thing since October. But honestly, even though some parts could've been better, I'm just glad I was able to finish this thing. Especially since the game happens to be my favorite game of all time.
> 
> But I know I'm not done yet. Everyone and their dog will keep asking me about DKC3 if I don't do that one, so expect it to pop up sometime soon. I even have a few chapters pre-written. So until then, I hope you guys have a good day.


End file.
